I recently matched into an internal medicine year. On my medicine months so far - I have observed a variety of residents and how they tackle the workload. Some are fairly organized, with a good plan of attack, etc., while others manage their patients haphazardly. I am characteristically an unorganized individual, but would like to spend my time as an intern efficiently. Does anyone have any advice about how to structure your daily schedule and workload on the medicine floors? Any advice would help. Thanks.
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advice concerning internship
Started by jocwyo
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jocwyo said:
How about copying one of your peers who is highly efficient.
The key is learning to work the phones. Once I figured out that medicine for the intern is practiced by yapping on the phone, I became the efficient tern.
Either have or have quick access to phone numbers.
Call consults early and often.
Learn how to multitask, if you are not doing atleast 3 things at the same time, then you are not doing enough(i.e paging a consultant, writing your SOAP note, and filling out PPN form)
Make nice with the nurses, and your pager will not constantly go off, for silly things, the nurse will just wait until she sees you or call you at the end of shift/late day to talk with you.
Stay on top of everything, this is were a little anal retentiveness will save you from having not one patient on your census than is needed. If the patient is to be NPO write the order, tell the patient, tell the nurse, tell the charge nurse......yep and even then one or two will slip through the cracks.
Err on the side of NPO if there is a .00000000001% chance of the upper GI being done tommorrow, you guessed NPO! You never know if a slot will open up.
Post is too long...sorry....this is tailored for the medicine tern, I have similar but a different twist for the surgery tern
Either have or have quick access to phone numbers.
Call consults early and often.
Learn how to multitask, if you are not doing atleast 3 things at the same time, then you are not doing enough(i.e paging a consultant, writing your SOAP note, and filling out PPN form)
Make nice with the nurses, and your pager will not constantly go off, for silly things, the nurse will just wait until she sees you or call you at the end of shift/late day to talk with you.
Stay on top of everything, this is were a little anal retentiveness will save you from having not one patient on your census than is needed. If the patient is to be NPO write the order, tell the patient, tell the nurse, tell the charge nurse......yep and even then one or two will slip through the cracks.
Err on the side of NPO if there is a .00000000001% chance of the upper GI being done tommorrow, you guessed NPO! You never know if a slot will open up.
Post is too long...sorry....this is tailored for the medicine tern, I have similar but a different twist for the surgery tern
Type your notes and upadate them on your computer at home. Honestly, how much changes between 5pm one day, and 7am the next- very little. Print them before you even leave for the hospital, fill in the vitals and subjective portion, cross out anything that doesn't apply anymore, and write in the new info. Keep your assessment and plan general, so it requires minimal udating, then add an addendum at the bottom with the few key details that actually matter. I would be done writing notes by 9am with the rest of the day to chase labs, consultants, etc.. and I would always sign out on time, even with 12 patients!
