Residency Regrets?

[Rxbound]

The director at the program in question is very difficult to deal with...

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[clarkbar]

Can you mention more about these background checks "that are getting more intense?" From my experience, a background check is an employment/education verifier, including a criminal check with perhaps a consumer report (which other than credit rating, also gives information on address, perhaps). From my experience, one can just leave off a few months from their resume. Last time I checked a resume is not a work record, as a marketing tool. Please enlighten us, as you do much hiring/firing.

 

[Its Z]

Can you mention more about these background checks "that are getting more intense?" From my experience, a background check is an employment/education verifier, including a criminal check with perhaps a consumer report (which other than credit rating, also gives information on address, perhaps). From my experience, one can just leave off a few months from their resume. Last time I checked a resume is not a work record, as a marketing tool. Please enlighten us, as you do much hiring/firing.

CMS-Medicare providers in order to participate and receive payment, they cannot employ anyone on the OIG(office of inspector general) list. If you have been convicted of a felony and get on the OIG list, you will most likely not be able work as a healthcare practitioner in the US. That is the major component of the background check.

 

[DedicationNSU11]

Wow what's so dramatically stressful about a residency? Can someone give details on what it's like?

 

[clarkbar]

clarified

 

[clarkbar]

CMS-Medicare providers in order to participate and receive payment, they cannot employ anyone on the OIG(office of inspector general) list. If you have been convicted of a felony and get on the OIG list, you will most likely not be able work as a healthcare practitioner in the US. That is the major component of the background check.

I see in that situation, but in the case of the resident thinking of cutting his losses and leaving the program early, how would a background check find his employment he chose not to divulge (in this case the residency)? From my experience, background checks are pretty basic and are limited to verifying the resume. Thank you, Z.

 

[Its Z]

Honesty is the way to go. Pharmacy is a small world and if you ever get caught monkeying with your cv I would think your career would be compromised.

 

[wes011]

Pharmacy is a very small world, you will want to stick it out for sure. If you quit, you will always have to answer why you quit. Residency is not suppose to be fun they are suppose to be learning experiences. The root word for residency is resident or someone that resides within. I am looking at a couple residency programs and the one I prefer is 80 hours per week with about another 10 of stuff at home. If you want that 2-3 years of experience that a residency provides, you have to work for it.

Long-time lurker, first-time poster.

I am currently doing a PGY-1, and I am completely miserable. I can't go into all the details here. I have met with my program director several times, but the issues I'm having are not going to be resolved. This program has had residents quit in the past, and the ones that do stay have not been happy either.

I have a job offer that I'm interested in, and I'm not sure if I should take it or try to stick it out. I have thought about the consequences of both scenarios and still can't come to a conclusion. I have listed pros and cons of each, and I still can't decide. I know it hinges on my future career plans, but I'm just so unsure about everything now, that I don't know what direction I want my career to go in.

Has anyone on here ever left a residency program? Has anyone ever regretted doing a residency.........or not doing one?

Mods, feel free to move if you think this should be in the residency forum. Thanks.

 

[Yazdi990]

a few others have mentioned that their residencies are hell. do you mind explaining why?

do you think it's residencies in general, or yours specifically?

 

[spacecowgirl]

My residency was mostly 40 hrs, no staffing, a decent amount of time spent on work in the evenings and weekends but overall not much more work than I do now. There's a lot of variability among programs.

 

[StevePerry]

Can you mention more about these background checks "that are getting more intense?" From my experience, a background check is an employment/education verifier, including a criminal check with perhaps a consumer report (which other than credit rating, also gives information on address, perhaps). From my experience, one can just leave off a few months from their resume. Last time I checked a resume is not a work record, as a marketing tool. Please enlighten us, as you do much hiring/firing.

I agree, hypothetically how would any of that show up if a few months were omitted?

 

[scoobygrl79]

Pharmacy is a very small world, you will want to stick it out for sure. If you quit, you will always have to answer why you quit. Residency is not suppose to be fun they are suppose to be learning experiences. The root word for residency is resident or someone that resides within. I am looking at a couple residency programs and the one I prefer is 80 hours per week with about another 10 of stuff at home. If you want that 2-3 years of experience that a residency provides, you have to work for it.

okay, which one of your brothers dared you to include this corny (or is it nerdy, maybe?... can't decide) segment of your statement?

 

[BidingMyTime]

Old post, but I'll add my opinion. Ditching a residency is going to look bad, no matter the reasons why--especially since you are breaking a contract/agreement. I think its best to try to tough out the residency if at all possible. Consider you have probably 40 years left in your pharmacy career--things will change, and even though you may think you would never want to work at this hospital ever, 20 years from now the hospital could have a totally different culture and you may regret having burned that bridge. It's almost always best to keep future options open.

However, only you known your mental health--as others have pointed out, a residency is not worth your life. Also, some workplaces are just dangerous (in they are so haphazardly run, they are a major error waiting to happen.) If this is at all a concern, then I would say leave. It's easier to explain leaving a residency or even getting fired, then to explain how your license got put on probation after you killed someone (or *revoked* as happened to the pharmacist in Ohio after he served jail time for a tragic error.)

 

[Angryrooster]

OP is probably fine by now since this is April.
I just want to add. Going through residency was very tough at my institution, talking about at least 15hours a day in hospital plus projects/journal club/drug info once you get home. Ok, so I toughed it out but I was very miserable, but the last day came, I felt so good.
However, my best friend couldn't finish it and I was so glad she quitted because she developed anxiety issues pushing her to the edge, it's hard to see her like that. She told me one day " I cannot be a quitter but these anxiety attacks are so horrible that sometimes I'd rather just die". She cried so many times during her nervous breakdown. She is now happy with her job and she never regrets her decision just because she knows her mental health is way more important than residency.
So, I guess to say "no don't quit" , or "go ahead quit" is subjective.

 

[lazydazy]

I too was wanting to quit my residency (PGY-1) about 2 weeks ago when I typed in google, "quiting my residency" and came across this thread. I was at the end of my rope. I am at the hospital from 6:30am-7pm (topic discussion starts 5-6 pm and lasts till 7-8pm), then go home and have mounting piles of journals and guidelines to read for the next days topic "discussion" which was really a 1-2 hour test over what I had read (medications, contraindications, dosing, you name it they fired it at me), not to mention weekly case presentations (formal presentation), 2 research projects (year long), monthly journal club (formal written and presented), monthly 1 hour presentation to the pharmacy staff and a few doctors, and monthly newsletter article (all of which are like tests because they fire questions at you, that you "should" know, and if you don't, look it up and email me back!. I was falling behind in everything and only getting 2-3 hours of sleep a night. I started feeling really sick physically and mentally. I have a wife and kids, who noticed I was changing and having a tough time. I would have panic attacks on presentation days, and depression every other day. I typed up my resignation letter and was going to hand it in the next day, when I decided to stand up for myself, stop being a b*tch and tell them what I was "Really thinking" and what was "Really going on". I was suprised at the reaction. My mind had build up this fantasy how everyone was going to tell me that I was just being lazy, or that I was making excuses, and find some way to belittle me like they had done so much in the past. In reality they were very understanding and supported me in removing some of the load on my plate. One of the demands/requests was that if I am going to complete the tasks asked of me, I need to be done with topic discussion by 5:30pm so I can go and work on projects the rest of the night. They agreed and have made an effort to do that. The past few weeks have been great. I no longer hate everyone in the pharmacy, I no longer get sick walking into the hospital doors in the morning (still a little) and my preceptors even complemented me and said they have seen a better more prepared me in the past few weeks. I cut my self off at midnight now, unless its a huge presentation or something. If you look at the big picture it is wise to not quit your residency. The benifits of staying are better than the outcome of not staying. You just need to take a stand and not be a b*tch. Tell them your issues and what you are having trouble with. It was the most humbling experience of my life, but in the long run will be one of the most rewarding. Dont be a b*tch, tell them what you are having issues with and stake your claim. Life is sooooo much better now. I even watched a movie with my wife the other night, and friday night is now no work night. Your co- workers seem like the devil, but are people just like you. (Sorry for my spelling and run on sentences)

I'm glad to hear if worked out for you. Not all programs/RPDs are that understanding. Some of my coresidents and I last year for my PGY1 tried to express our concerns about the demands of the program, excessive amount of work, nasty preceptors, etc. It did not matter. Their thoughts were they have plenty of people wanting their residency so we should be grateful for training at that site. It was not a great experience. My PGY2 is a little more understanding. Residency is not a fun process although you learn a lot, but it's very difficult at times. Now with the economic downturn all this training may be for naught and you may end up jobless.

 

[Protongenic]

So, I guess to say "no don't quit" , or "go ahead quit" is subjective.

^This.

Also, I know of two individuals who have dropped out of residency (on separate years). The first one made his decision around Jan-Feb of PGY1 at a mid-sized, locally well-known community teaching hospital, mainly due to personal/relationship reasons and acute onset depression. He ended up taking a position at Target, became much happier, and never once regretted his decision.

The other one did so within 2 months into PGY2 at a nationally well-known academic teaching institution; once again, for personal reasons (e.g. wedding; although there are still many individuals who get married during residency and still finish residency...). She ended up staffing inpatient at a community hospital ~90 min away from her PGY2 program. Needless to say, her program was less than pleased and that's partly the reason why she has a very hard time obtaining a clinical position (whether in-state or out-of-state). But I heard she's now very happy and is enjoying her life (incidentally, she also married way up).

Regardless, I still think that this is a very subjective and personal decision.

 

[nampa1]

glad it worked out for you