New Intern - Seeking Advice

[Leukocyte]

I will be starting my Intern year off-cycle...Next week! I was offered a pre-match deal, and the PD wants me to start early.

Any advice on how to best prepare my self in the next few days? Any books to read before I start? Any advice on what to expect as a new intern (off-cycle) in FM?
Should I review EKGs? Read Bates again? I am freakin out!

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thank You.

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[boston]

the Intern Pocket Survival Guide

http://www.amazon.com/Intern-Pocket-Survival-INTERN-SURVIVAL/dp/0963406302

 

[EdibleEgg]

Take a deep breath.... It's not a bad idea to do some reading everyday, and if you are a real stud, you can keep up the habit once you start you residency. But once the ball gets rolling, it will often be tough to find the time. You will probably be well served to review ACLS if you haven't seen it in a while, but there's nothing you can read to teach you how to survive residency. Don't worry though, there will be people around to back you up. Although you will probably be in some uncomfortable situations (that's when you do the good learnin'), you are not turned loose on the world as an intern. Your upper levels and attending will be there to help, and as long as you work hard and pull your weight, they should be happy to do it. So my advice, take it or leave it, is to read the newspaper, write a letter to old aunt Hilda, or do something else you enjoy. Lots of other people have been freaked out by residency. I'm not saying you won't hide in a broom closet the first time a code is called, but the hard part of this whole process is med school and that's already behind you. Good luck!

 

[Leukocyte]

Thank you very MUCH guys!

Boston, because I am so freaked out, I went to the bookstore on friday and bought $350 worth of books and booklets. One of them was the Intern survival guide you mentioned. I am glad you found it helpful.

EdibleEgg, your advice is very reassuring. It helped me calm down a bit. It is just scary to carry this added resonsibilty for the first time all of a sudden. It is a scary thought to be called by a nurse in the middle of the night about a patient who is having a seizure, expecting me to tell her what to do right away...and there I am, sweating and fumbling through the many little pocket booklets in my whitecoat. I will take your advice through to heart, and try to relax.

Thanks again.

 

[nabeya]

Thank you very MUCH guys!

Boston, because I am so freaked out, I went to the bookstore on friday and bought $350 worth of books and booklets. One of them was the Intern survival guide you mentioned. I am glad you found it helpful.

EdibleEgg, your advice is very reassuring. It helped me calm down a bit. It is just scary to carry this added resonsibilty for the first time all of a sudden. It is a scary thought to be called by a nurse in the middle of the night about a patient who is having a seizure, expecting me to tell her what to do right away...and there I am, sweating and fumbling through the many little pocket booklets in my whitecoat. I will take your advice through to heart, and try to relax.

Thanks again.

How's the intern life so far?

 

[Leukocyte]

How's the intern life so far?

So far It is great. They placed me in the FM clinic my first month with no calls so far...will start taking call in April! Sweet.

And the nurses...GOD bless them. They are very very helpful. After doing my clinical rotations in Brooklyn/Queens, this residency program, I am in, is a Luxery. The nurses are spoiling me....they even take orthostatic blood pressures for us. We are treated like "real" doctors from day one, and every resident at the clinic is asigned a personal nurse to take care of his needs!

You are at OK City? I interviewed there earlier this season. Your two Cheif residents are GREAT. I loved them. Very funny and friendly. If I did not pre-match, I would have ended up there!