Clinical Rotations Question

[WTGGrl]

I am going to be starting my clinical rotations soon, and I had a few questions regarding studying. In the clinical rotations forum and sprinkled in this forum, there are a lot of posts talking about how you work 12 hrs a day, 6 days a week in some of the more demanding specialties (surgery, medicine, ob/gyn).

My question is when do you study for these rotations and their shelf exams? Do you learn most of what you need for the shelf in the rotation itself and then just read the associated books for solidification? Is there downtime to study while you're in the hospital?

I can be fine working 16 hour days in surgery for a few months, but I'm worried that I'll have to go home after these 16 hours and put in another 5 hours of studying!

Thanks!

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[WTGGrl]

any upper years here?

 

[MISTERshortcoat]

Hello there,
Study time depends greatly on the way your team turns out -- often, this is luck of the draw for nice residents who remember that studying is your priority. Some surgery teams have large breaks in the middle of the day, which you can use to study. On medicine, you may have to squash your studying outside of ward time down to 2 hours a day, or even just one hour a day. Fortunately, most attendings will choose to lecture you on very high-yield topics, which are then tested on the shelf exams. The great skill you have to learn during your 3rd year is how to manage time.

Honestly, on surgery and medicine, you really have to push hard to get all of the information into your brain. Some people say, 'study at least 1 hour a day'. This probably isn't enough, especially as test time creeps closer. Persevere whenever you can, and a good rule of thumb is to only take call days and post-call days off from studying. Every other day, you should try to read. This will relieve the pain near the test, as you watch your classmates scramble to cram knowledge that won't fit at the last minute. The best advice to get would be from upperclassmen in your own school, since they took the tests that you will soon take. Get what their most effective books were, and read those. Reading Cecil's might be great in the long run, but in the short run it can cost you dearly because of the time investment.

Finally, carry around pocket-sized study books. Broad-based books, like Boards and Wards, the Washington Manual, etc. work well. The last 1-2 weeks before your exam, swap the general book for a question book in the subject you're about to take. (Like PreTest Medicine, for example.) When people are off eating lunch and talking about nothing, try to politely excuse yourself and do some questions. Don't be a jerk, but don't waste your time, either.

If you have any other questions, feel free to PM.