Advice

[Khering]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I’m shadowing the chief of surgery and working on retrospective study abstracting data from paper charts. As of lately I feel as if im in the way. I’ve gotten to scrub in on a few cases over the past month, but now due to M4s, M3s and new residents I’ve fallen to the wayside and usually just stand watching with little to no view. I want to do surgery and have a strong interest in it, but rarely does teaching occur. The chief doesn’t seem to care or take interest in me. When I ask for help regarding interpreting charts or clarification for the retrospective study…he tells me to look it up…which I did and tried. I’m getting to this point where the lack of interest or care makes me want to stop and enjoy the rest of the summer.Should I find another project/shadowing opportunity in another department? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[medstud87]

I’m shadowing the chief of surgery and working on retrospective study abstracting data from paper charts. As of lately I feel as if im in the way. I’ve gotten to scrub in on a few cases over the past month, but now due to M4s, M3s and new residents I’ve fallen to the wayside and usually just stand watching with little to no view. I want to do surgery and have a strong interest in it, but rarely does teaching occur. The chief doesn’t seem to care or take interest in me. When I ask for help regarding interpreting charts or clarification for the retrospective study…he tells me to look it up…which I did and tried. I’m getting to this point where the lack of interest or care makes me want to stop and enjoy the rest of the summer.Should I find another project/shadowing opportunity in another department? Any advice would be appreciated.

Completely normal. Don't fret. You are mainly there to observe, but make sure you learn as much as you can. I'd say just keep with it. Cut down the hours if you want to enjoy your summer.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

I’m shadowing the chief of surgery and working on retrospective study abstracting data from paper charts. As of lately I feel as if im in the way. I’ve gotten to scrub in on a few cases over the past month, but now due to M4s, M3s and new residents I’ve fallen to the wayside and usually just stand watching with little to no view. I want to do surgery and have a strong interest in it, but rarely does teaching occur. The chief doesn’t seem to care or take interest in me. When I ask for help regarding interpreting charts or clarification for the retrospective study…he tells me to look it up…which I did and tried. I’m getting to this point where the lack of interest or care makes me want to stop and enjoy the rest of the summer.Should I find another project/shadowing opportunity in another department? Any advice would be appreciated.

Welcome to surgery. Hated my rotation. But, if you want to be a surgeon, you have to put in your dues as a medical student. So you get to put in your dues in residency. So you get to put in your dues with a practice. THEN, when your 85, you can make real money with a decent salary. YAY SURGERY!

Seriously, though. I take it you are an M1? Why should the chief care about you? He's got his own education to worry about, 4 years worth of residents below him, and people who are actually supposed to be in the cases (m3s, m4s). The type of people who go into surgery are usually selfish and goal oriented people to begin with. They have 300 hours worth of stuff to do, and only 80 to get it done in. Then, even if they weren't selfish, goal oriented people, they got tossed in an environment where pricks survive and nice people get walked all over. So, you take a predisposition for douchery, put them in a douchey environment, ask them to do more than they should be asked to do, and then you want them to care about an M1 who might be interested in surgery during a case?

"Learn the hierarchy, you'll be happier than way" - Surgical attending at a Surgery Intern party, to which I was also invited. They mean it. He meant it. You're last in line. It gets better over time, Im told.

Though I went into Internal medicine where everyone loves everyone. Its like the 60s all over again. We'd get you good attention and make sure you were as involved as you want to be. No 5 hr surgeries to get in our way. No (uh, fewer) predisposed douchebags put into a nurturing environment. Much more friendly.

BUT, if you want to do surgery, get used to it. Thicken your skin, become more of a douche. You'll get along great that way! Im serious. I hated my chief on my general surgery rotation. Then I acted like a cock-waggon a couple of months later on an elective in surgery, and he and I got along great. Not kidding. Cock-waggon

 

[Regal Regan]

What year are you? Or are you a pre-med?

 

[ArcGurren]

Welcome to surgery. Hated my rotation. But, if you want to be a surgeon, you have to put in your dues as a medical student. So you get to put in your dues in residency. So you get to put in your dues with a practice. THEN, when your 85, you can make real money with a decent salary. YAY SURGERY!

Seriously, though. I take it you are an M1? Why should the chief care about you? He's got his own education to worry about, 4 years worth of residents below him, and people who are actually supposed to be in the cases (m3s, m4s). The type of people who go into surgery are usually selfish and goal oriented people to begin with. They have 300 hours worth of stuff to do, and only 80 to get it done in. Then, even if they weren't selfish, goal oriented people, they got tossed in an environment where pricks survive and nice people get walked all over. So, you take a predisposition for douchery, put them in a douchey environment, ask them to do more than they should be asked to do, and then you want them to care about an M1 who might be interested in surgery during a case?

"Learn the hierarchy, you'll be happier than way" - Surgical attending at a Surgery Intern party, to which I was also invited. They mean it. He meant it. You're last in line. It gets better over time, Im told.

Though I went into Internal medicine where everyone loves everyone. Its like the 60s all over again. We'd get you good attention and make sure you were as involved as you want to be. No 5 hr surgeries to get in our way. No (uh, fewer) predisposed douchebags put into a nurturing environment. Much more friendly.

BUT, if you want to do surgery, get used to it. Thicken your skin, become more of a douche. You'll get along great that way! Im serious. I hated my chief on my general surgery rotation. Then I acted like a cock-waggon a couple of months later on an elective in surgery, and he and I got along great. Not kidding. Cock-waggon

I'm not sure, but it sounds like you don't like surgery 😀.

 

[JokerMD]

asdf

 

[OveractiveBrain]

wth is "chief of surgery" mean?

i thought surgery was a department 😕

Its either Chief Resident or Chief of Surgery. I assume he means Chief Resident.

Chief resident is usually someone in their last year, often given to "everyone in their last year."

Chief of a Department is the person responsible for the money (the hiring, the firing, the hours worked, etc.)