How are EM residents evaluated?

[holabuster]

I'm about to start EM residency in July, so I was wondering how EM residents are evaluated, both on-service and off-service.

Is the process the same as in med school? If not, how does it work?
How are the evaluations used?
Are they high stakes like clerkship grades?
How much of your evaluations is "playing the game" like it was in med school?
How much do your evals matter for job hunting?
Any other advice?

Thanks for any insights on this.

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[Tenk]

Is the process the same as in med school? If not, how does it work?

You will be judged and rated by your core faculty and your PD. There will be numeric components. So long as you are doing as well or better than the rest of your class there is absolutely no issue.

How are the evaluations used?

They will usually only be used to hurt or hinder you. IE: if you have bad evaluations you may not be able to moonlight.

Are they high stakes like clerkship grades?

No.

How much of your evaluations is "playing the game" like it was in med school?

Very little. This is just how you function at your job. If you show up to work, do your best, work hard, don't bitch and whine, don't pick fights, and have a positive attitude you will have great evaluations.

How much do your evals matter for job hunting?

They don't.

Any other advice?

Don't worry so much and just do your best. Good luck.

 

[BoardingDoc]

Everything tenk said.

/thread

 

[wololololololo]

How much of your evaluations is "playing the game" like it was in med school?

Very little.

!!!!

 

[Cinematographer]

Very little. This is just how you function at your job. If you show up to work, do your best, work hard, don't bitch and whine, don't pick fights, and have a positive attitude you will have great evaluations.

....But that's exactly what playing the game means in med school.

 

[holabuster]

Is the process the same as in med school? If not, how does it work?

You will be judged and rated by your core faculty and your PD. There will be numeric components. So long as you are doing as well or better than the rest of your class there is absolutely no issue.

How are the evaluations used?

They will usually only be used to hurt or hinder you. IE: if you have bad evaluations you may not be able to moonlight.

Are they high stakes like clerkship grades?

No.

How much of your evaluations is "playing the game" like it was in med school?

Very little. This is just how you function at your job. If you show up to work, do your best, work hard, don't bitch and whine, don't pick fights, and have a positive attitude you will have great evaluations.

How much do your evals matter for job hunting?

They don't.

Any other advice?

Don't worry so much and just do your best. Good luck.

Thanks Tenk! Do evals matter for being chief? How are chiefs chosen? And errr...do you wanna be chief...

 

[Old_Mil]

How much of your evaluations is "playing the game" like it was in med school?
How much do your evals matter for job hunting?
Any other advice?.

Show up, work hard, have a good bedside manner, and be honest. That will get you 80% of the way there. Beyond that everything is subjective.

People will look upon you favorably or unfavorably based on that last subjective part in some cases. I remember one time an attending who worked rarely had taken a dislike to me for reasons that I still don't fully understand. He gave me a negative review even though he hadn't worked with me in months after seeing me at a Christmas party. After that I monitored the attending schedule and traded out of shifts where I was scheduled to work with him.

My personal way of evaluating medical students and residents is a bit different than some. I never ask pimp questions as I realize the premed screening process has already adequately screened you for intelligence and your cell phone will have more facts about medicine accessible in about 2 seconds than you could memorize in a lifetime.

I do however place a lot of emphasis on judgement and character. Those things - what you want to do with the facts available to you - are infinitely more important and they are things that you are born with and no amount of medical education can teach them to you.

It is the attendings who lack in these areas who get into trouble and it is these things that premedical education invariably fails to screen for.

 

[BoardingDoc]

Thanks Tenk! Do evals matter for being chief? How are chiefs chosen? And errr...do you wanna be chief...

You haven't even started residency yet and you're wondering how to be a chief?

 

[Tenk]

Thanks Tenk! Do evals matter for being chief? How are chiefs chosen? And errr...do you wanna be chief...

I was chief. There's really only one reason to be chief and that is because you care a lot about your program.

Being chief means you have to work harder than everyone else, will be under a microscope and will get absolutely no thanks for doing it at the end of the day. It is literally the most thankless job I have ever had. Would I do it again? Sure, but I love my program and I wanted to help it. If you don't have that motivation, don't bother.

 

[Tenk]

Show up, work hard, have a good bedside manner, and be honest. That will get you 80% of the way there. Beyond that everything is subjective.

People will look upon you favorably or unfavorably based on that last subjective part in some cases. I remember one time an attending who worked rarely had taken a dislike to me for reasons that I still don't fully understand. He gave me a negative review even though he hadn't worked with me in months after seeing me at a Christmas party. After that I monitored the attending schedule and traded out of shifts where I was scheduled to work with him.

My personal way of evaluating medical students and residents is a bit different than some. I never ask pimp questions as I realize the premed screening process has already adequately screened you for intelligence and your cell phone will have more facts about medicine accessible in about 2 seconds than you could memorize in a lifetime.

I do however place a lot of emphasis on judgement and character. Those things - what you want to do with the facts available to you - are infinitely more important and they are things that you are born with and no amount of medical education can teach them to you.

It is the attendings who lack in these areas who get into trouble and it is these things that premedical education invariably fails to screen for.

I would like to echo these points. Some of it is indeed out of your control and you should not stress on the things about you that you cannot change.

 

[fahimaz7]

Core competency "Milestones"
https://www.abem.org/public/docs/de...ocuments-and-files/em-milestones.pdf?sfvrsn=6

 

[TooMuchResearch]

I would like to echo these points. Some of it is indeed out of your control and you should not stress on the things about you that you cannot change.

I just read my most recent round of reviews from faculty.

Some are pretty clearly not about me, but they matter so little that I don't care.

 

[Angry Birds]

The 3 L's: Don't be late, don't be lazy, and don't lie.

As for being late: if you're not early, you're late. Come 15-30 minutes earlier than other residents to your shifts and you will be loved. Half the battle will be won.

 

[holabuster]

Cool, thanks everyone for the feedback! Was looking forward to just being able to focus on my clinical duties and learning instead of playing the grading game, and it sounds like that will be the case.

 

[Tenk]

....But that's exactly what playing the game means in med school.

I always thought "playing the game" meant sucking up to attendings, asking loaded questions, being a yes man, staying late past your shift to seem like you care, etc.

 

[Angry Birds]

I always thought "playing the game" meant sucking up to attendings, asking loaded questions, being a yes man, staying late past your shift to seem like you care, etc.

Sucking up to attendings = still a wise idea; I've always been an avid fan of brown-nosing. It works with everyone, since everyone likes to be complimented. See Scrubs episode where JD finds out his residents laugh at his jokes only because he is an attending. In fact, watch every episode of Scrubs from the very beginning.

asking loaded questions = unnecessary now that you are a resident, and probably even annoying

being a yes man = hmmm, I don't know about this one. Guess it depends on the situation. But, if your attending tells you to do something, you *should* say, "I'm on it" or "already done."

staying late past your shift = in EM, makes you look inefficient and scatter brained, so don't routinely do it

 

[RustedFox]

Residents are evaluated on a scale from 10 (hot) to -0- (or not).

 

[kmp0410]

....But that's exactly what playing the game means in med school.

Apparently lots of people are "playing the game" in every field every day then

 

[RustedFox]

I just read my most recent round of reviews from faculty.

Some are pretty clearly not about me, but they matter so little that I don't care.

This happened to me, too - I read a review about me that mentioned something about me "checking out early from a shift for my brother's wedding".

I don't have a brother.

 

[Angry Birds]

This happened to me, too - I read a review about me that mentioned something about me "checking out early from a shift for my brother's wedding".

I don't have a brother.

I stopped reading faculty reviews after 2nd year, because even though most would be good, even one or two negative reviews would destroy my day. Not gonna lie, I'm too sensitive. Got thin skin.

I was already working my hardest on all fronts, knew what I was weak in or needed to improve on, and felt so underappreciated in residency.... that I did not feel spiritually benefitted from faculty reviews.

I am NOT saying that YOU or anyone else should do that. Clearly, feedback is critically important, and most residents want more feedback and benefit from that. This is my own hold up.