Attending didactics as a med student

[TheBoneDoctah]

This question is for residents/PDs. I am a medical student taking a research/teaching year in between my 2nd/3rd year. This has afforded me some extra time where I can attend didactic meetings at a nearby residency program where I would like to attend in a few years. My question is...do residents/PDs like to see a student interested in the program/specialty at these sessions? Do you think it helps in making connections with that residency program? Or do you think it comes off as desperate? I have gone to a few of these sessions and enjoy going, but I don’t wanna be “that guy.” If a med student showed up at your didactics, what would be your impression?

Thanks!

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[operaman]

We have medical students show up at ours all the time. They're always welcome unless we're having a meeting where we are openly discussing students/applicants or confidential business that isn't educational anyhow. I don't really notice who is there or who isn't since we're a big program and have a number of students around all the time, so it probably isn't really helpful or hurtful from a matching perspective other than the value of being a more familiar face and getting to know the people.

If you enjoy going and find the sessions useful for your own learning, then I'd say go when you can and obviously err on the side of quietly listening rather than engaging whoever is lecturing. Even as a resident, I try to go to optional sessions and courses whenever I'm not tied up with something clinical. Soak up the learning wherever you can!

 

[mvenus929]

I don't notice or care about students at our didactics, unless it's a resident meeting (in which case we actively kick people out of the room). Our PDs hardly ever show up to said didactics, so the students wouldn't benefit in that respect either.

 

[gutonc]

This question is for residents/PDs. I am a medical student taking a research/teaching year in between my 2nd/3rd year. This has afforded me some extra time where I can attend didactic meetings at a nearby residency program where I would like to attend in a few years. My question is...do residents/PDs like to see a student interested in the program/specialty at these sessions? Do you think it helps in making connections with that residency program? Or do you think it comes off as desperate? I have gone to a few of these sessions and enjoy going, but I don’t wanna be “that guy.” If a med student showed up at your didactics, what would be your impression?

Thanks!

The only impression you'd make on me was if you took the last sandwich or piece of pizza before I got there...in which case I'd beat your a**.

Otherwise, you're some random person who might actually be lost and I don't really care...because I got lunch.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

The only impression you'd make on me was if you took the last sandwich or piece of pizza before I got there...in which case I'd beat your a**.

Otherwise, you're some random person who might actually be lost and I don't really care...because I got lunch.

Can I stop by and get some lunch too?

 

[operaman]

Wait you guys get food at yours?!

 

[GoSpursGo]

Go if you want to learn. Literally nobody will notice you're there, and it definitely won't help or hurt your application.

 

[Apollyon]

Go if you want to learn. Literally nobody will notice you're there, and it definitely won't help or hurt your application.

Well, to be pedantic, unless one is invisible, literally at least some will notice you are there. However, what I think you meant was, literally, no one will care that you are there (unless you take the last of any food).

That reminds me of a story from nearly 20 years ago. There was one of our classmates that was a real **** bag, lying about where he was, absent, the whole thing. Well, he REALLY liked the powdered doughnuts, so my buddy Paul (who is now an anesthesiologist) would wait right until the S-bag could see the table, and he would take the last powdered doughnut. That drove the S-bag nuts!

 

[JustPlainBill]

The only impression you'd make on me was if you took the last sandwich or piece of pizza before I got there...in which case I'd beat your a**.

Otherwise, you're some random person who might actually be lost and I don't really care...because I got lunch.

During my MS3 IM rotation, some of my young med student colleagues pulled a stunt that had me SMH -- The residency program we were at had noon conference every day and provided food for the residents -- de riguer, right? Well, some of the med students decided that it was ok, since they got there first (residents/interns were cleaning up floor work from the morning) to pile up a plate, finish it and then go back for a second piled up plate. For about 2 days, all that was left for some of the residents were the vestiges of iceberg lettuce salad --- about the 3rd day, the program admin was standing at the serving line and told the students to wait until the residents had gotten food before they could be served. They pitched a hissy fit complaining that "we're people too and need to eat!"....I tried to tell them that we were the lowest in the hierarchy, got to leave early most days and could grab food on our own -- sad....

 

[Planes2Doc]

I don't really pay attention to who goes or not. But if you do end up going and text on your phone the entire time, it will get noticed. That was brought up today by multiple residents.