Looking good is more important than being good. How opinion can ruin a career.

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His Fuzziness

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As an anesthesiologist, self assessment is made in a vacuum. When I was repeatedly told that multiple attendings weren't happy with my performance and felt that I wasn't progressing as fast as the other residents, I had no choice but to believe them. I redoubled my commitement to Anesthesia scoring 95% on my AKT and was rewarded with positive verbal and written feedback from my attendings. Unfortunetely, what was said to my face was opposite of what was said behind my back. I was told that my services would no longer be needed once my contract expires in 6 months.

I was shocked by this news but resigned myself to believing 'the experts' in residency training. I took some time off to find another specielty but sadly, had to return back to the OR for my last month on service. I entered this month with an extremily negative attitute but exited it with the renewed passion for Anesthesiology. When I compared myself with my fellow residents, it was obvious that I was at least above average and not incompetent as I had been led to believe. Not uncommonly, I would even witness some of my attendings missing obvious details, making errors in judgement, forgeting to formulate backup plans, and allowing their pride to get in the way of optimal patient care.

Although I tried to be objective and respect the opinions and criticism of my superiors, the fact is that their evaluation of me is wrong. It contains nothing concrete nor constructive but only obscure statements regarding how "I don't fit in" and how they "have to protect the public." It wasn't my incompetence that made my attendings uncomfortable rather it was my lassie fair attitude, my personale appearance, my lack of eye contact and my propensity to ask irrelevant questions. All these issues I have since fixed.

Again, I love Anesthesia but feel like it's all been taken away from me because of a small group of bias attendings. I asked for help and constructive criticism on multiple occasions but received none. All I want is for another training program to give me a chance to prove that I can be a great Anesthesiologist, but am skeptical if this will ever happen due to the views of my old program. I feel blacklisted and broken. :scared:

Any and all ideas appreciated.
PLEASE HELP!!!
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You are in a difficult position and I feel for you.
Statistically when people are asked to leave a residency program before the end of their training it means that the program feels very strongly that they are not performing at the minimal expected level.
If you feel that you were targeted inappropriately then you should probably get a lawyer involved and see if they followed the right steps in handling the issue.
Otherwise I think you should find an unfilled position somewhere, maybe a less desirable geographic area, and send a detailed letter to the Program director about your situation, they might give you a chance.
Good luck.
 
Why weren't you making eye contact?
 
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not getting the whole story here. as an aside, doing well on the AKT has very little to do with how you perform in the OR.
in order to not renew you, they had to give you SPECIFIC deficiencies and ACGME goals you were not meeting. it is your right to KNOW why your residency has been terminated.
 
His Fuzziness said:
As an anesthesiologist, self assessment is made in a vacuum. When I was repeatedly told that multiple attendings weren't happy with my performance and felt that I wasn't progressing as fast as the other residents, I had no choice but to believe them. I redoubled my commitement to Anesthesia scoring 95% on my AKT and was rewarded with positive verbal and written feedback from my attendings. Unfortunetely, what was said to my face was opposite of what was said behind my back. I was told that my services would no longer be needed once my contract expires in 6 months.

I was shocked by this news but resigned myself to believing 'the experts' in residency training. I took some time off to find another specielty but sadly, had to return back to the OR for my last month on service. I entered this month with an extremily negative attitute but exited it with the renewed passion for Anesthesiology. When I compared myself with my fellow residents, it was obvious that I was at least above average and not incompetent as I had been led to believe. Not uncommonly, I would even witness some of my attendings missing obvious details, making errors in judgement, forgeting to formulate backup plans, and allowing their pride to get in the way of optimal patient care.

Although I tried to be objective and respect the opinions and criticism of my superiors, the fact is that their evaluation of me is wrong. It contains nothing concrete nor constructive but only obscure statements regarding how "I don't fit in" and how they "have to protect the public." It wasn't my incompetence that made my attendings uncomfortable rather it was my lassie fair attitude, my personale appearance, my lack of eye contact and my propensity to ask irrelevant questions. All these issues I have since fixed.

Again, I love Anesthesia but feel like it's all been taken away from me because of a small group of bias attendings. I asked for help and constructive criticism on multiple occasions but received none. All I want is for another training program to give me a chance to prove that I can be a great Anesthesiologist, but am skeptical if this will ever happen due to the views of my old program. I feel blacklisted and broken. :scared:

Any and all ideas appreciated.
PLEASE HELP!!!
Click to expand...


How far along were you in your training?
 
If you were getting positive written reviews, why were you let go?
Usually an employer likes to have a paper trail to show that you were a bad employee.
Either there is more to this story or you should get a lawyer.
 
I've seen a few people get kicked out of my own program as well as a neighboring one. It's the same story every time "I was blackballed by the big guys which gave me a bad rep w everyone else, and then I made one little mistake and the booted me, blah, blah, blah..."

From what I've seen, every single person that has been booted deserved it... period.

The ones kicked out always say they don't deserve it, but it would be nice to hear from their peers whether or not they deserved. So, peers, here's your chance. Do you think they deserved it?

I'm not trying to be rude or mean, but it's too bad that some people can't critically evaluate themselves and say "maybe I'm just not cut out for this." We've all seen the 5th yr surgery residents that make you say hmmmm.

Discuss.
 
His Fuzziness said:
As an anesthesiologist, self assessment is made in a vacuum. When I was repeatedly told that multiple attendings weren't happy with my performance and felt that I wasn't progressing as fast as the other residents, I had no choice but to believe them. I redoubled my commitement to Anesthesia scoring 95% on my AKT and was rewarded with positive verbal and written feedback from my attendings. Unfortunetely, what was said to my face was opposite of what was said behind my back. I was told that my services would no longer be needed once my contract expires in 6 months.

I was shocked by this news but resigned myself to believing 'the experts' in residency training. I took some time off to find another specielty but sadly, had to return back to the OR for my last month on service. I entered this month with an extremily negative attitute but exited it with the renewed passion for Anesthesiology. When I compared myself with my fellow residents, it was obvious that I was at least above average and not incompetent as I had been led to believe. Not uncommonly, I would even witness some of my attendings missing obvious details, making errors in judgement, forgeting to formulate backup plans, and allowing their pride to get in the way of optimal patient care.

Although I tried to be objective and respect the opinions and criticism of my superiors, the fact is that their evaluation of me is wrong. It contains nothing concrete nor constructive but only obscure statements regarding how "I don't fit in" and how they "have to protect the public." It wasn't my incompetence that made my attendings uncomfortable rather it was my lassie fair attitude, my personale appearance, my lack of eye contact and my propensity to ask irrelevant questions. All these issues I have since fixed.

Again, I love Anesthesia but feel like it's all been taken away from me because of a small group of bias attendings. I asked for help and constructive criticism on multiple occasions but received none. All I want is for another training program to give me a chance to prove that I can be a great Anesthesiologist, but am skeptical if this will ever happen due to the views of my old program. I feel blacklisted and broken. :scared:

Any and all ideas appreciated.
PLEASE HELP!!!
Click to expand...

Paper trail. I hope you have everything mailed, emailed, written etc about you copied and saved. You should have a written report of every meeting with an attending at your institution. You need to call the ACGME residency liaison and discuss your specific case. You need to go to your Dean of GME at your institution and discuss your case. You need to get an attorney that specializes in employment law. Do all of this as soon as possible. Call a clinical psychologist and get a neuro-psychiatric test battery done. If anything turns up positive, you have your answer, if it is all negative, you have your documentation. You are in a losing position and you may be out of a job and a career. If you want it, you need to fight for it.


In 2003 I gave a speech at the AMA meeting in Hawaii on being a battered resident. It was nice to get it out in the open and get the standing ovation and support from colleagues. But that old thread is on here somewhere..... It all works out in the end.
 
lvspro said:
I

The ones kicked out always say they don't deserve it, but it would be nice to hear from their peers whether or not they deserved. So, peers, here's your chance. Do you think they deserved it?

Discuss.
Click to expand...

My experience is more along the lines that there are people with very good reasons to be kicked out of a residency, but they remain because the admin is afraid of the legal consequences...just like the above post about going and hiring an employment attorney.
 
His Fuzziness said:
Any and all ideas appreciated.
PLEASE HELP!!!
Click to expand...

If the situation is as you describe, there should be at least 1 or 2 attendings who believe in you. Talk to them and have them make phone calls to other programs. That's the only reason I'd take someone who'd been fired if I were a program director.

If you cannot identify a single attending who believes in you, take some time to reevaluate whether they might be right.
 
His Fuzziness said:
As an anesthesiologist, self assessment is made in a vacuum. When I was repeatedly told that multiple attendings weren't happy with my performance and felt that I wasn't progressing as fast as the other residents, I had no choice but to believe them. I redoubled my commitement to Anesthesia scoring 95% on my AKT and was rewarded with positive verbal and written feedback from my attendings. Unfortunetely, what was said to my face was opposite of what was said behind my back. I was told that my services would no longer be needed once my contract expires in 6 months.

I was shocked by this news but resigned myself to believing 'the experts' in residency training. I took some time off to find another specielty but sadly, had to return back to the OR for my last month on service. I entered this month with an extremily negative attitute but exited it with the renewed passion for Anesthesiology. When I compared myself with my fellow residents, it was obvious that I was at least above average and not incompetent as I had been led to believe. Not uncommonly, I would even witness some of my attendings missing obvious details, making errors in judgement, forgeting to formulate backup plans, and allowing their pride to get in the way of optimal patient care.

Although I tried to be objective and respect the opinions and criticism of my superiors, the fact is that their evaluation of me is wrong. It contains nothing concrete nor constructive but only obscure statements regarding how "I don't fit in" and how they "have to protect the public." It wasn't my incompetence that made my attendings uncomfortable rather it was my lassie fair attitude, my personale appearance, my lack of eye contact and my propensity to ask irrelevant questions. All these issues I have since fixed.

Again, I love Anesthesia but feel like it's all been taken away from me because of a small group of bias attendings. I asked for help and constructive criticism on multiple occasions but received none. All I want is for another training program to give me a chance to prove that I can be a great Anesthesiologist, but am skeptical if this will ever happen due to the views of my old program. I feel blacklisted and broken. :scared:

Any and all ideas appreciated.
PLEASE HELP!!!
Click to expand...

Did you graduate from a U.S. M.D. or are you IMG?
 
FatKid said:
Did you graduate from a U.S. M.D. or are you IMG?
Click to expand...

Are you seriously going to try to take this in that direction? Go to the premed forums if you want to stir that **** up.
 
badgas said:
Are you seriously going to try to take this in that direction? Go to the premed forums if you want to stir that **** up.
Click to expand...

I've seen it makes a huge difference in the way residency programs treat residents, especially in employment areas. They've got the J-1/H-1's by the short hairs..
 
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