Asking questions to attendings in outpatient setting

[waldenwoods]

I have one attending in my outpatient rotation who frequently asks students if they have any questions, several times per day. So I wanted to know what questions you've asked attendings that they thought were excellent, insightful, etc. I'm sure there are some clinical rockstars on this board who've been successful in looking "interested" in the office so please share the wealth.

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[lord_jeebus]

Questions pertinent to what you see, especially as it relates to what you've read and other things you've seen.

 

[Anka]

In order to ask instightful questions, you have to do your homework. You're no doubt reading in your free time, seeing patients, doing reading even relevant to patients you saw yesterday. Questions worth asking usually go along the lines of "I was reading about the patient we saw yesterday with Symptom X [or disease Y]..." and end with a question about treatment, diagnosis, cost effectiveness, etc. Alternatively, if you just saw a patient and weren't sure about something you found on exam, you ought to ask about that. Or whether a particular exam finding (which you learned in a book was related to a given condition) really means that condition is present, vs. being suggestive.

Questions not worth asking are questions that you would know the answer to if you read the book.

Best,
Anka

 

[Top Gun]

Try reading a journal article about some particular disease you happened to see in the clinic. Or read an article about some new treatment for a disease that you saw in the clinic. That ought to raise some interesting points for discussion with your attending.

 

[LadyGrey]

You can also ask about controversial issues that involve more clinical judgment than black-and-white textbook answers, like whether they're keeping their diabetic patients on Avandia.

 

[Anka]

I can see it now. Accross the country hundreds of avid SDN readers, yearning for honors in family medicine, break out the Avandia/DM question.

 

[LadyGrey]

Heh. Yeah, make up your own questions, it's just an example. I was in my family med rotation when the Nissen study came out in NEJM, and it was interesting to see how the three doctors in my practice responded to it.

 

[Law2Doc]

I have one attending in my outpatient rotation who frequently asks students if they have any questions, several times per day. So I wanted to know what questions you've asked attendings that they thought were excellent, insightful, etc. I'm sure there are some clinical rockstars on this board who've been successful in looking "interested" in the office so please share the wealth.

I've found you can always ask them threshold questions about patient care -- such as "at what point would you" want to test this patient for X, treat him with Y, admit him, etc. without sounding dumb. But yeah, I agree with the others that if you truly want to come off as a "clinical rockstar" you are going to have to break out the current journal articles and talk about them.

 

[lankysudanese]

I have one attending in my outpatient rotation who frequently asks students if they have any questions, several times per day. So I wanted to know what questions you've asked attendings that they thought were excellent, insightful, etc. I'm sure there are some clinical rockstars on this board who've been successful in looking "interested" in the office so please share the wealth.

attendings can sniff 'fake interest' and are particularily accustomed to students busting out journal articles just for the sole purpose of seeming interested. also, keep in mind that some outpatient-based attendings are not into clinical research or evidence-based-medicine (at least not as much as inpatient attendings). so what i would recommend is that you study hard in order to know the fundamentals of diagnosis and management of whatever conditions you see in that particular practice. That way, when a diagnostic or therapeutic dillema arises (and there is no shortage of those), you will recognize it and pose an insightful question which shows your genuine interest. your attending would be impressed, b/c it shows that you pay attention during your preceptorship and that you are able to think "outside the box".

Good Luck

 

[Tired Pigeon]

attendings can sniff 'fake interest' and are particularily accustomed to students busting out journal articles just for the sole purpose of seeming interested.

There are a number of these types in my class, and the attendings seem exceedingly annoyed by them. The rest of us get a good laugh.

 

[roja]

Yes. Do NOT fake interest. Seriously. It can be smelled a mile away, will in fact damage you and you will be mocked by others (see above) and not well recieved by attendings. Just express your general interest. If you have a question, ask it. I do not percieve interest to be some amazingly insightful question, instead, I find medical students that just ask me geniune questions (no matter how 'silly' or basic) to have an obvious interest.

So, if you find yourself wondering about something, ask.

 

[Law2Doc]

I find medical students that just ask me geniune questions (no matter how 'silly' or basic) to have an obvious interest.

So, if you find yourself wondering about something, ask.

While this may be great advice for med students working with you specifically, it isn't borne out by attendings at large I have met. Most attendings have a very low tolerance for silly or basic questions. Those are questions you had best try to look up or ask an intern first.

 

[bjackrian]

While this may be great advice for med students working with you specifically, it isn't borne out by attendings at large I have met. Most attendings have a very low tolerance for silly or basic questions. Those are questions you had best try to look up or ask an intern first.

I agree with you in hospital settings, but I've found the previous poster's attitude to be much more common in outpatient, private practice settings. Most private practice attendings I've had have been friendly and willing to answer dumb questions, and the simplicity of a few of my questions does not seem to have reflected poorly in my evaluations this far.

 

[docjagermeister]

The OP is asking about outpt settings, in which case doctors by and large depend upon personal experience when making decisions concerning patient care. EMR definitely comes into play, but I don't think the doc you rotate with would respond well if you are more well read than they... Instead focus on reading a bit on the patients you've seen and the general pathologies most commonly encountered in the outpt setting. I've gotten honors on my two FP rotations due to authentic altruism towards my patients more so then any particularly insightful anecdote or question.... bottom line is your evals are just much dependent on the personality and style of your attendings as they are on anything you did.