Advice for audition rotation (ICU)

[StriveToBeDr]

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Hello,

I have a few questions that hope someone could provide me some advice.

1) For 4th year elective, which one should you do, CCU or ICU that gives you the best preparation for PGY-1 in IM?

2) Should you do ICU/CCU as your audition rotation? Since they are generally very difficult, it might be difficult to obtain a good impression, although you could work really hard, and be perceived as a hard working and dedicated student. Or if you do it early on in fourth year, it might equip you with the necessary knowledge to help you perform better in other audition rotation. How do you approach the above dilemma?

3) What is the exact difference between ICU and CCU? Isn't most patients with critical ill state has multiple system problems, how can it be just CCU?

Thank you very much!

 

[Instatewaiter]

I think MICU (medical icu) is the best. I'm guessing ICU is what your hospital calls the MICU.

If it is a place you really want to go to, don't do your ICU month there unless you have had another ICU month eslewhere.

MICU patients are much sicker, have worse problems, more of them, and many-->most are on respirators. The CCU patients all have cardiac complaints and for some this is their only problem.

 

[Acherona]

In general, cardiac patients go to ccu and pulmonary patients go to icu. Ccu treats things like acs, chf, unstable arrhythmias. ICU has a lot of intubated patients on ventilators, they also get unstable GI bleeds and DKA. I think both would be tough as a medical student. They are usually very fellow-driven so there is an added level of hierarchy which would probably translate into med students with less opportunity for input. personally I think ccu would be more useful. as an intern on the general medicine floors i found myself requiring more general cards knowledge but maybe that is just my hospital. on the wards you will often treat chf or even nstemi and need to be proficient with ekgs which you get a lot of practice with in ccu. there is also a lot of evidence based practice in cards which you really need to hang around cardiologists to pick up. micu problems i just find easier to learn on the fly i guess.

 

[StriveToBeDr]

Thanks a lot!

So do you suggest doing an CCU elective during my audition rotation period?

In general, cardiac patients go to ccu and pulmonary patients go to icu. Ccu treats things like acs, chf, unstable arrhythmias. ICU has a lot of intubated patients on ventilators, they also get unstable GI bleeds and DKA. I think both would be tough as a medical student. They are usually very fellow-driven so there is an added level of hierarchy which would probably translate into med students with less opportunity for input. personally I think ccu would be more useful. as an intern on the general medicine floors i found myself requiring more general cards knowledge but maybe that is just my hospital. on the wards you will often treat chf or even nstemi and need to be proficient with ekgs which you get a lot of practice with in ccu. there is also a lot of evidence based practice in cards which you really need to hang around cardiologists to pick up. micu problems i just find easier to learn on the fly i guess.

 

[Acherona]

i don't know what kind of medical student you are but in general i'd say if you're doing the rotation to prepare for pgy1 then go ahead and do ccu, if it's to "audition" i would stay with gen med wards because it might be hard to shine on a ccu rotation. again it depends where you rotate and how good a med student you are but for the average student it's kind of hard to seem smart in the ccu/icu imo.

 

[StriveToBeDr]

i don't know what kind of medical student you are but in general i'd say if you're doing the rotation to prepare for pgy1 then go ahead and do ccu, if it's to "audition" i would stay with gen med wards because it might be hard to shine on a ccu rotation. again it depends where you rotate and how good a med student you are but for the average student it's kind of hard to seem smart in the ccu/icu imo.

Thanks