Blanking during rounds

[DD214_DOC]

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I already know I have anxiety issues. I have gotten a LOT better at one-on-one and small group interaction, to the point where it doesn't reall ybother me that much.

Unfortunately, the larger-group scenario is still a problem. During rounds we are often called on in front of residents/interns/attendings and 9/10 I will blank out of sheer anxiety/adrenaline, even though I know the answer were I to be asked one on one.

How do I deal with this? Do residents/attendings realize this happens sometimes and don't think I'm a complete *****?

 

[brownshuga22]

I already know I have anxiety issues. I have gotten a LOT better at one-on-one and small group interaction, to the point where it doesn't reall ybother me that much.

Unfortunately, the larger-group scenario is still a problem. During rounds we are often called on in front of residents/interns/attendings and 9/10 I will blank out of sheer anxiety/adrenaline, even though I know the answer were I to be asked one on one.

How do I deal with this? Do residents/attendings realize this happens sometimes and don't think I'm a complete *****?

well..1) if it doesnt bother you on small groups.. trying thinking of the biger group as multiple small groups ..
2) generally have a deep breaths in and out before presenting your case or answering a Qs..
3)try to brake this cycle of fear as i think u will miss alot because of it.. **what i do is whenever i am asked a Qs i think of the answer for a while and if i think i know it.. i spitt it out .. and even if it turned out to be wrong (( heck.. at least i got the nerves to answer)

 

[Doctor Bagel]

How do I deal with this? Do residents/attendings realize this happens sometimes and don't think I'm a complete *****?

I hope so because I think it happens to most of us. I probably answer correctly about 30% of the stuff I actually know on rounds. I've learned that being wrong is generally OK provided that you show interest in learning from the attending.

 

[BobBarker]

A good friend and classmate has this exact problem. We will be talking about something in detail one minute, and the attending will ask him something that he just told me. He then won't answer correctly. He does a really good job presenting the case and interacting with the entire group on rounds, but the questions always cross him up even when he knows the answer.

 

[Jamers]

I already know I have anxiety issues. I have gotten a LOT better at one-on-one and small group interaction, to the point where it doesn't reall ybother me that much.

Unfortunately, the larger-group scenario is still a problem. During rounds we are often called on in front of residents/interns/attendings and 9/10 I will blank out of sheer anxiety/adrenaline, even though I know the answer were I to be asked one on one.

How do I deal with this? Do residents/attendings realize this happens sometimes and don't think I'm a complete *****?

Happens to me all the time. I find that if I don't answer right away, it gives me a time to collect my thoughts; I like to look up and pretend I am thinking hard about the question. I think a big part of this is that the anxiety is made worse by the feeling you need to answer the question in 0.00002 seconds. It doesn't work all the time and some days I will bat a 1000 and other days I will bat a 100 but, that's life.

 

[Saladin MD]

I feel ya. I'm in the same situation. Give me a multiple choice or written exam and I do above average. But if an attending asks me a question in a round (with other students/residents), then my mind draws a blank...by the time I'm ready to answer the question, he's moved on. Sucks. It makes me look stupid even though I know the answer oftentimes...just not fast enough.

 

[CorazonDoc]

i hear you. i'm always freezing in large groups and then 1 minute after the fact it's like "doh, of course the answer was pheo, i'm an idiot" ...and then i proceed to the nearest concrete wall and bang my head against it until i'm numb.

one strategy that has helped calm me down a few times is to stall by just repeating something about the patient that has either already been said or that i am at least remembering at the moment. "well in Mr. X's case, he is having discrete epsides of hypertension and has been a very sweaty at times. we have covered the most likely causes...but PHEO (hooray i remembered) should also be somewhere on the differential"

maybe not the best example, but sometimes just being able to start talking helps calm me down a bit and allows my mind to work. (disclaimer is that you can't stall forever, but a few moments of stalling at least gives you at least a slightly better chance of remembering.

 

[DD214_DOC]

I usually would repeat the question but a radiologist busted me on this during grand rounds, half-jokingly. He asked if there was an echo in the room. I told him I was just doing it to stall. He said it was a good strategy.

 

[Jamers]

I usually would repeat the question but a radiologist busted me on this during grand rounds, half-jokingly. He asked if there was an echo in the room. I told him I was just doing it to stall. He said it was a good strategy.

I had an attending tell me that he didn't "want to hear what he already knew, just the answer to the question," when I would repeat stuff.

 

[NonTradDO]

It is pretty normal (evident by the responses)... It happens to me as well and it seems like attendings know it too. Just take a deep breath and maybe repeat the question in your head. Taking a few seconds to think about it isn't a bad thing

 

[surrender903]

God forbid that you say "i dont know."

 

[BobBarker]

I like to think of things physiologically and reason it out. Usually, the attending will kinda guide you to where he wants you to go. Here's an example, "Bob, what would happen if you just ran a patient on normal saline for a few days?" Me, "Well... hypernatremia." Attending, "Okay, and what else?" Me, ".... ... hyperchloremia." Attending, "Good, and what would then happen?" Me (lightbulbs going off) "A reciprocal loss in bicarbonate, and a resulting metabolic acidosis." Attending, "Great job, that's what I was looking for." Just give what you know, and think out loud. It really helps.

 

[brownshuga22]

I like to think of things physiologically and reason it out. Usually, the attending will kinda guide you to where he wants you to go. Here's an example, "Bob, what would happen if you just ran a patient on normal saline for a few days?" Me, "Well... hypernatremia." Attending, "Okay, and what else?" Me, ".... ... hyperchloremia." Attending, "Good, and what would then happen?" Me (lightbulbs going off) "A reciprocal loss in bicarbonate, and a resulting metabolic acidosis." Attending, "Great job, that's what I was looking for." Just give what you know, and think out loud. It really helps.

that is both smart and funny!! 😀