Normal vs. Pathologic

[sgemini12]

So I want to run my thoughts by all of you on whether or not I am just going through normal intern year jitters or if there is something more serious going on that I should talk to someone about. A bit about me I am coming from a decent mid-tier school where I did pretty well now hitting the gauntlet of intern year in the ED. I was lucky that I got my first two months in the ED.


I’ve been stressed out and feeling like I am already behind my fellow interns. I stress out a lot about going to my shifts in the ED worrying that I will mess up or not being able to handle things in the department. I have had a hard time sleeping worrying about shifts and going through different scenarios of patient complaints and how I would handle them.


I usually leave 15-20 minutes earlier than I need to so that I can take a drive, listen to music, and settle down before I hit the department. The odd thing is after a patient or two I settle down and feel much better during my shift and usually leave feeling pretty confident after I leave the hospital. Still I end up lying in bed thinking of what I could have done better and worrying about patients I haven’t seen yet. I also sometimes wonder if I am really cut out to be in the ED if I am this nervous this early on.


I did get my first months evaluations back and half stated I was where I should be as an intern the other half stated I was slightly above where I should be. My main question is if I am just going through regular intern jitters or if I need to see someone to talk through my anxiety. I unfortunately cannot talk much to my family because I am the first to go past an associates degree and they don’t quite understand medical training.

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[Birdstrike]

It's normal. Chill out. Go out with some friends, fellow interns or not, and talk about things. If you want to talk to a counselor also, fine. The first 6 weeks of your residency your so called "performance" means nothing.

Nothing.

If you can find where it is in your hospital to put your poop when need to make a BM, you're slightly above the mean. If your evaluation says you're "average or better" you're fine. If you can find the right hole when the attending says, "Do rectal now, please," then you're passing with honors, actually.

Chill, dude (or dudette). Chill. Seriously, it's second month, intern year.

Chill. Now.

Dr. Birdstrike's orders.

 

[EctopicFetus]

This is normal. IMO feeling "behind" and unsure is normal and I firmly believe good for you. The ED is full of landmines but unless you are at some freakish residency your attendings are monitoring you closer than you suspect. No one "trusts" the intern.

Keep reading, keep seeing patients and with time you will be more comfortable. A little nervousness isnt bad and I still have my cases where I go back and think about what I did and if it was right.

You will be fine as long as you are hard working and realize you have much to learn and are willing to put in the time to learn.

 

[Angry Birds]

Keep in mind that EM is an extremely stressful field. Throughout my residency (including in my final year) I would have a hard time going to sleep after a shift as my brain would be racing. I'd have horrible sleep dreaming of my patients and always having the nightmare that I made some mistake.

This is one of the reasons I am trying to find an exit from EM. Too stressful for me.

 

[dotcb]

I felt that way for at least 2, if not 3 years. It's normal. Use it to motivate you to be good.

 

[Birdstrike]

Keep in mind that EM is an extremely stressful field. Throughout my residency (including in my final year) I would have a hard time going to sleep after a shift as my brain would be racing. I'd have horrible sleep dreaming of my patients and always having the nightmare that I made some mistake.

This is one of the reasons I am trying to find an exit from EM. Too stressful for me.

Exit to what?

Exit completely, or reduce shifts?

 

[sgemini12]

Thanks everyone this makes me feel a lot better. Its definitely a big change hitting intern year but I feel like with every shift I get a little more confident.

 

[Groove]

So I want to run my thoughts by all of you on whether or not I am just going through normal intern year jitters or if there is something more serious going on that I should talk to someone about. A bit about me I am coming from a decent mid-tier school where I did pretty well now hitting the gauntlet of intern year in the ED. I was lucky that I got my first two months in the ED.


I’ve been stressed out and feeling like I am already behind my fellow interns. I stress out a lot about going to my shifts in the ED worrying that I will mess up or not being able to handle things in the department. I have had a hard time sleeping worrying about shifts and going through different scenarios of patient complaints and how I would handle them.


I usually leave 15-20 minutes earlier than I need to so that I can take a drive, listen to music, and settle down before I hit the department. The odd thing is after a patient or two I settle down and feel much better during my shift and usually leave feeling pretty confident after I leave the hospital. Still I end up lying in bed thinking of what I could have done better and worrying about patients I haven’t seen yet. I also sometimes wonder if I am really cut out to be in the ED if I am this nervous this early on.


I did get my first months evaluations back and half stated I was where I should be as an intern the other half stated I was slightly above where I should be. My main question is if I am just going through regular intern jitters or if I need to see someone to talk through my anxiety. I unfortunately cannot talk much to my family because I am the first to go past an associates degree and they don’t quite understand medical training.

Normal. Relax. Confidence will improve with time.

 

[TooMuchResearch]

.

 

[Angry Birds]

Exit to what?

I will PM you that information.

Exit completely, or reduce shifts?

I'm not sure to be honest. I don't enjoy EM so a complete exit would be nice from that angle. However, I think EM pays the bills quite nicely and is a great back up in case my exit strategy fails at any point in time. So I might just reduce shifts in order to keep up skills in case I ever need to go back to full time EM.