Crowded on the Floor

[Redpancreas]

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So I'm on a fairly chill unit with 2 other medical students. I feel like the work is ideal for 2 medical students, but 3 isn't terrible. However, we also have to split tasks with guest interns (from ER/IM/Family) who are required as part of their first year to see some OB/Gyn stuff (cool beans). Then there are 2 IMGs who are like stealing our tasks/cases without shame (I gave one of them a scrub credit of mine so they could actually get some scrubs instead of the weird ones they were wearing...she said thanks but proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the day...brutal...) and then there are PA students (nice ppl but still...). Everyone here kinda looks the same to the residents by cursory glance since we're all in scrubs and today we came late because of grand rounds/lectures and like the IMGs had already gotten cozy with the intern (the QB of the medical students) so we, the actual medical students, affiliated with the institution had nothing to do for 5 hours... Luckily a year 3 resident overheard me quizzing the medical student and jumped into our discussion at points but among the three of us, only one C-section was available. Is this a common occurrence? Discuss...



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[Mountaineer12]

I had similar problems with visiting IMGs and PA students, though never quite this bad. I would let your clerkship director know this is happening. They should know how to handle it. Like you said, you're actually affiliated with the school, you pay tuition there, you should be first in line with IMGs and PA students next. I think residents don't have time to think about this stuff or don't realize it's happening so I think going to the clerkship director first would be better than bothering the residents with it, but that's just my opinion.


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[KinesiologyNerd]

Sounds like you're getting outplayed by the IMGs. Time to step it up, bruh.

 

[evilbooyaa]

School shouldn't be sending you there if there isn't enough volume to go around. Talk to your clerkship director, yesterday.

 

[Psai]

A) your resident
B) your intern
C) you
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You don't owe those people anything. Get your scrub credit back and f em

 

[Redpancreas]

Sounds like you're getting outplayed by the IMGs. Time to step it up, bruh.

It's not my fault.
They like know how to US, read scans, set up foleys, tie knots, etc. I'm no good at any of this at the moment and the residents are busy and its easy for them to get help from the IMGs who in their perspective pick things up fast.


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[Psai]

It's not my fault.
They like know how to US, read scans, set up foleys, tie knots, etc. I'm no good at any of this at the moment and the residents are busy and its easy for them to get help from the IMGs who in their perspective pick things up fast.


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Maybe they were born with it.

Maybe it's Maybelline.

Bro if you're getting played by some scrubs who couldn't even get into a real medical school, that's on you. Instead of sitting here feeling bad for yourself, go learn how to do these things. When I was a medical student, I didn't sit here whining on sdn. I went out and got help from people who know what they're doing to learn how to read US, foleys, knots and imaging. You know how I did it? I went and got the ultrasound, looked at people in the ED and the ICU by myself, especially after I watched the resident do a bedside or the tech do a formal ultrasound. I asked the nurses to help to put in foleys. I watched youtube videos on how to tie knots and practiced as much as I could. I looked at scans myself, read the official report and went to the radiology suite to discuss with radiologists. Almost no one will say no to you if you ask nicely.

Wear your white coat so the residents know that you're one of theirs. Go show some initiative.

I didn't know what a good medical student was until I had one. That student was awesome because they did everything without being prompted. They looked up the notes, called consults, looked at imaging, was willing to learn how to do things and always paid attention. It's easy to spend some time teaching students when they're helping you with your job instead of creating more work for you. This student didn't just sit there and expect for people to teach them things just because they were paying tuition. They did it all themselves.

 

[Redpancreas]

Maybe they were born with it.

Maybe it's Maybelline.

Bro if you're getting played by some scrubs who couldn't even get into a real medical school, that's on you. Instead of sitting here feeling bad for yourself, go learn how to do these things. When I was a medical student, I didn't sit here whining on sdn. I went out and got help from people who know what they're doing to learn how to read US, foleys, knots and imaging. You know how I did it? I went and got the ultrasound, looked at people in the ED and the ICU by myself, especially after I watched the resident do a bedside or the tech do a formal ultrasound. I asked the nurses to help to put in foleys. I watched youtube videos on how to tie knots and practiced as much as I could. I looked at scans myself, read the official report and went to the radiology suite to discuss with radiologists. Almost no one will say no to you if you ask nicely.

Wear your white coat so the residents know that you're one of theirs. Go show some initiative.

I didn't know what a good medical student was until I had one. That student was awesome because they did everything without being prompted. They looked up the notes, called consults, looked at imaging, was willing to learn how to do things and always paid attention. It's easy to spend some time teaching students when they're helping you with your job instead of creating more work for you. This student didn't just sit there and expect for people to teach them things just because they were paying tuition. They did it all themselves.

Thanks man, needed that.


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[augeremt]

@Psai, all great points. Thanks for writing that!

What's your advice if there aren't enough patients to go around? For example, 5 students and 3 patients for the week? How do I occupy my time productively without stealing other students' patients and/or stepping on people's toes?

That census is no exaggeration. My current site sucks.

 

[akwho]

@Psai, all great points. Thanks for writing that!

What's your advice if there aren't enough patients to go around? For example, 5 students and 3 patients for the week? How do I occupy my time productively without stealing other students' patients and/or stepping on people's toes?

That census is no exaggeration. My current site sucks.

Excel on the patient you are given. Read a journal article on their disease, pathology, share your findings. Maybe you will even contribute to their care with a new treatment modality. Understand everyone else's patients on the team, their pathology and treatment course. No excuse for not knowing every patient and their pathology like the back of your hand when you only have three. Good med students know something about every patient on the team, mediocre ones only know their own patients well.

 

[JustPlainBill]

A) your resident
B) your intern
C) you
d
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f
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y) img
z) pa student

You don't owe those people anything. Get your scrub credit back and f em

Agree. OP -- I feel your pain -- At Parkland there were 2 L&D decks -- one was the high risk where every residency EXCEPT FM did their deliveries. The other was run by midwives and it was where FM, PA, EMT, MS3s from UTSW and midwife students did their deliveries. The midwives had a bunch of people trying to get their NP degree and lorded it over the FM interns who were just there trying to get their 40 and get out. I recall more than one occasion where I had a continuity patient at St. Paul that I had to round on and then had to get over to Parkland. By that time, the patients had been handed out and it was tough luck for me. The midwives absolutely refused to bump a student off of a delivery so I could get my numbers because "the student was here at morning report and has already been introduced" -- and when I tried to explain that I was seeing continuity patients, it fell on deaf ears. Even the ob/gyn resident told me to pull the doctor card but with the politics of the residency, no way that would have been good. It was that way for all of us at that time unless you played the game and admitted that midwives were better than doctors, especially ob/gyns and that they all had superior knowledge and doctors were evil......

So, back to your topic -- I would second what @Psai recommended -- be aggressive and get the training you need. once you're out, it's too late.