Purpose: Medical education increasingly frames failure and remediation as opportunities for growth rather than deficits to be corrected. However, less attention has been given to acute, emotionally destabilizing incidents during clinical training that may cause students to question their own fitness for the profession. This study explored how final-year medical students experience such critical incidents and what support structures, if any, help them recover and grow. Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with final-year medical students about their clinical experiences and emotional development during training. Transcripts were analyzed thematically, with particular attention to descriptions of critical incidents, students’ emotional responses, recovery processes, and formal or informal support available afterward. Results: Most participants described critical incidents that followed a similar pattern: an unanticipated and emotionally overwhelming clinical event, an acute personal response marked by withdrawal and self-doubt, and a recovery process managed largely on their own. No participant described a formal debriefing process, planned mentorship check-in, or curricular mechanism for processing such incidents. Participants differed in the type of support they felt would be helpful; some preferred emotional distance, while others wanted structured guidance. This suggests that a single standardized intervention may not meet all learners’ needs. Conclusion: These findings identify a gap in how medical schools operationalize “second chances” beyond formal academic remediation. Critical incidents in clinical training may function as hidden moments of self-questioning, identity disruption, and potential growth. Training programs should build deliberate, individualized recovery structures into clinical education, reframing such incidents as part of professional identity formation rather than private hurdles students must overcome alone.