Social issues during Residency / Rotations

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BeatrixIsBackDO

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Making friends in 3rd and 4th year

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J-Rad this is more like a clinical rotations kinda thread rather than a Osteo specific kinda thread

+1.

Its a nice topic. Should be discussed in general.

I agree with feelings of OP. Would love to hear insights of people who have been through these paths and have been able to find a good social life in residency.
 
Yes, it is harder in that sense out on rotations. Everyone adapts differently.

I agree the move to osteo thread inappropriate btw. It's just segregation at this point!
 
Yes, it is harder in that sense out on rotations. Everyone adapts differently.

I agree the move to osteo thread inappropriate btw. It's just segregation at this point!

Lurking around the SDN forum for the past 2 years, I get the sense that being a DO is similar to being an African American in an alternate reality where "separate but equal" still applies; however, racism is nonetheless prevalent.
 
Getting back to the OP's comment:

Every school does things differently, but you still encounter fellow classmates on rotations. At the very least you are in the same city or area as others in your class so while it takes a bit more to contact them and get together you still have opportunities to study. I feel that in a larger class it's really nice to interact with people that you may not have met in the first two years of school. This is especially true when you're at rotation sites that have housing and you're forced to live with fellow students.

At the same time, throughout school you are in a socially sheltered environment. Everyone feels the same pressures and deadlines. As you learn to talk to patients and try to understand their needs during the clinical years you are being exposed to stressors that you may not have seen before and people that you may never have interacted with before. It isn't a complete departure though, because soon you'll be in residency where you'll spend a ton of time with a smaller group of people again like 1st and 2nd year for an even longer period of time....so don't worry :D
 
I'll agree it is nice to interact with some people in your class that you've never had that chance to get to know over MS1-2. Maybe I'm antisocial or something but I've actually enjoyed the fact that I haven't seen too many classmates. What's even better is that so far I haven't had to deal w other students on my patient care teams. Call me a hermit, but I think it's great.
 
I'll agree it is nice to interact with some people in your class that you've never had that chance to get to know over MS1-2. Maybe I'm antisocial or something but I've actually enjoyed the fact that I haven't seen too many classmates. What's even better is that so far I haven't had to deal w other students on my patient care teams. Call me a hermit, but I think it's great.

I'm with Brewmeister. You really get to know the few classmates that are on a rotation/location with you. It helps break people out of the social circles and gives you an excuse to reintroduce yourself.
 
One thing I've been trying to do is find social things outside of school....like hanging with people that have absolutely nothing to do with med school, to fully relax and have fun!
 
I'm glad somebody else feels like this, because I've been struggling with the same thing.

It doesn't help that, for instance, when I was on FM (my first/only rotation, and 12 weeks to boot) most of my friends were on IM/surg and thus had no time to do anything. At least our school seems to keep the same people together throughout most rotations - I'm gonna get to know the people above and below me alphabetically real well!

But I still find myself oddly reminiscing about college and years 1/2 - where it was easy to get together with people. I had no idea that adult life in America could end up this isolating, honestly.
 
I'm in San Antonio, 1000 miles from home and with no one from my school here and all the other med students are on different services and I never see them in hospital (huge hospital) and none of us are staying in the same hotel or if we are I never see them here.

Next month will be more of the same as I'm flying to Seattle for another audition rotation and again I don't know anyone up there. I'm getting used to it but its still a pain in the ass
 
:thumbup:
I'll agree it is nice to interact with some people in your class that you've never had that chance to get to know over MS1-2. Maybe I'm antisocial or something but I've actually enjoyed the fact that I haven't seen too many classmates. What's even better is that so far I haven't had to deal w other students on my patient care teams. Call me a hermit, but I think it's great.

:thumbup:
 
I'm glad somebody else feels like this, because I've been struggling with the same thing.

It doesn't help that, for instance, when I was on FM (my first/only rotation, and 12 weeks to boot) most of my friends were on IM/surg and thus had no time to do anything. At least our school seems to keep the same people together throughout most rotations - I'm gonna get to know the people above and below me alphabetically real well!

But I still find myself oddly reminiscing about college and years 1/2 - where it was easy to get together with people. I had no idea that adult life in America could end up this isolating, honestly.

Well there's things that help...
1. Having a family to rely on (mother, father, siblings, cousins, etc)
2. Being in a relationship

I'm not in a relationship right now but I find that 3rd year is good as long as you take the time to keep close to your family and whatever friends are willing to spend time with you and make the effort to do things with you. You really kinda do have to actually plan stuff out... it used to be in preclinical/college I could just go somewhere, hang out, and stuff would happen, but here it's definitely different.

It gets better. You make new friends, and you meet a ton of new people (residents, etc). It's a good experience.
 
You really kinda do have to actually plan stuff out... it used to be in preclinical/college I could just go somewhere, hang out, and stuff would happen, but here it's definitely different.

Dude, that sounds like the real world, which I can understand could be a bit of a shock for someone who's been in school their whole life. All your friends have different jobs with different schedules and live all over town, so you need to call them up to meet up. It's not like you're all living in the dorms together taking the same classes. I wish it was, because I totally miss that, but unfortunately that's not the case. Such is life.
 
I'm right there with you. I'm actually really glad you posted this and that I saw this, because I have been really struggling with the same thing recently and it's been really difficult. I don't feel depressed or anything per se, just very lonely and isolated.

I go to school in the south where basically everyone is married or in a serious relationship. All but a few of my friends have a long-term, serious, live-in (or basically live together even if they still have separate apartments) relationships. I also live fairly far from any of my family.

It's difficult when everyone has different schedules, when we only get 1 day off in 7, when there are shelf exams to study for, etc.. I live by myself, which as an M1/M2 was great because I like to study at home. Now I find it really isolating to come home to an empty apartment after a long day of work. I do try to make an effort sometimes, but lately I've just been to freaking tired or felt under pressure to spend time really studying hard for the shelf exam. It also doesn't help that the people that I DO interact with seem to be so miserable, saying how much they hate 3rd year, etc., that I really started to not want to be around them since I felt like I was already down enough and didn't want to be dragged down or feel even worse.

I've always wanted a pet to help out with the lonely feeling, but I know that I just don't have the time to care for one and that it wouldn't be fair to leave it in a crate/kennel all day. I substituted this lonely feeling by buying an orchid and thought it would be nice to have something to take care of. Well, came home one day last week and discovered that literally all the blooms had fallen off one afternoon and that the plant had died. Can't say that's not just slightly symbolic haha.

I've found it helpful to let my family know what's going on and how lonely 3rd year can be sometimes. I know it sounds dorky, but it's been helpful to have my family make a little bit more of an extra effort to check in on me and tell me they love me/miss me. It can be difficult to be the lowest on the totem pole in the hospital setting and to literally never have anyone pay attention to you. At work, the focus is always on the patient (as it should be), but it can be isolating when everyone else on the team goes home to a spouse/family that loves them while you come home to an empty apartment.

This is turning into a novel, phew! Just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. :)
 
Dude, that sounds like the real world, which I can understand could be a bit of a shock for someone who's been in school their whole life. All your friends have different jobs with different schedules and live all over town, so you need to call them up to meet up. It's not like you're all living in the dorms together taking the same classes. I wish it was, because I totally miss that, but unfortunately that's not the case. Such is life.

I did work before entering medical school, albeit on an internship, but it was a full time job, so yeah, it's very much like the real world... it still blows.

I think it'll be easier when I'm married/in a relationship of some sort and have kids (I'm sure there will be any number of things that are tougher as a result, but it still beats isolation).
 
Haha, ending on a very bleak note.

It's not a bleak note, it's reality. Having to call up people to meet up is not that big of a deal, honestly. A text here and a text there and you've got friends again.

It takes some getting used to, but it's seriously not a problem. Same thing happens when your best friend gets a boyfriend/girlfriend. You can't rely on them always being available and instead have to plan in advance. It's part of growing up and becoming an adult. No biggie.

I didn't mean for this to be a downer post, but more of a reality check. You can't live in the school bubble forever.
 
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