Disillusioned in PGY-2

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mwest

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Whoever said senior years are better must be crazy. Since July I've worked so much, the clinic volume has doubled & the list of charts/labs have trebled... I haven't got time left for any of my normal activities. I actually had a better life in intern year.
Not to speak of the senior pager that keeps on beeping with mostly stupid Qs from patients from outside the hospital. I am having serious compassion deficit & wondering if I can ever find a balance & be happy in medicine.

Does it ever get better??

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Whoever said senior years are better must be crazy. Since July I've worked so much, the clinic volume has doubled & the list of charts/labs have trebled... I haven't got time left for any of my normal activities. I actually had a better life in intern year.
Not to speak of the senior pager that keeps on beeping with mostly stupid Qs from patients from outside the hospital. I am having serious compassion deficit & wondering if I can ever find a balance & be happy in medicine.

Does it ever get better??

That's crazy because I've been hearing the same thing. I thought it was suppose to get easier so that residents could have a family life or consider having a baby?
 
Once you're an attending can't you choose how many hours you practice? (spoken curiously, not sarcastically)
 
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I found that residency became progressively more enjoyable each year. The first couple of months as an upper-level were a bit annoying because of the brand-new interns, but that passes as they gain experience. Maybe that's part of what you're going through.

Life after residency is pretty much what you make of it.
 
You just finished intern year. As an intern, there is plenty of scut & pain but you are relatively protected. By PGY2 you are far less protected and there are many additional responsibilities that come with the increased trust placed upon you. I also believe, others can correct me, FM requires increasing clinic patient volume with each additional year.

IMHO, "PGY2 senior resident" is some what of a misnomer. Keep in mid the dynamics of a three year residency. By definition, as an intern you require closer supervision and less autonomy. Your PGY3 chiefs, while the most experienced, naturally expect junior resident "coverage". That coverage can not really fall as much on interns. Thus, a PGY2 is declared a "senior" with certain obligations to make the chief residents' lives more enjoyable. PGY2 is the sandwhich year. Other residencies have similar "sandwhich" years....


...I thought it was suppose to get easier so that residents could have a family life or consider having a baby?
No. If ANY residency gets easier with increasing PGY level, it should do so as a result of your increased knowledge, skill and efficiency. It does not get easier out of ~entitlement to an easier life and to facilitate family creation. Each year should be increasing learning and intensity though of different natures. It's called progressive responsibility, a hallmark of all good medical training. When you complete FM or ANY other residency, you are the intern & senior/chief resident all in one.

Most interested in forming families and having kids have done so in just about every residency I have seen. Plenty of ladies have kids during FM & surgery residency. I have even seen women have kids during vascular & CV fellowships. Residency is not designed to facilitate having a baby and forming a family. It is intended to train you to practice medicine. Some residencies may be more conducive to family development... but residency really is not the place for that. A three year residency may however be optimal for finishing "early", getting started with your career and then forming a family.

That all said, most I have spoken to found residency better, albeit different, at each PGY level.
 
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"It" doesn't get better... but you do.

You get better at evaluation & treatment & routine things roll off your tongue without spending time looking everything up. You ask better questions, better exams that are higher yield. You see angles, shades, associations, connections & nuances that show you similarities & differences. You give better guidance to your patients so they don't blow up your pager. You move through clinic faster, your order less BS studies, & you make decisions faster.

If all else fails, you'll learn how to cope better.
 
"It" doesn't get better... but you do.

You get better at...

If all else fails, you'll learn how to cope better.
Exactly!!! If it got easier, you would not get better. Think about what that means if you peak as an intern.....:eek:
 
Trebled?

Are you ESL, OP?
 
In my residency all seniors say it gets easier during years 2-3
 
Am now the chief and frankly, I work more than the previous years. It maybe due to the position but all the 3rd years are hustling a lot more. It only get a bit slower when ur in an elective, which is something to really look forward to.
With all the new guidelines that ACGME came up, the interns are now "pampered" more than ever. And to think they even want it down to 16 hrs from 30!
 
Hmm well the compassion deficit is expected. But if your trying to find balance in your training years, I'm not sure thats possible. I mean your activities are heavily weighted toward the TRAINING. If your looking to join the country club to work on your golf game, or go back and find your artistic side by drawing/painting again then that can wait, and SHOULD wait. There will be time for your normal activities at some point.

Concentrate on learning what you can right now. Most of the time the learning is involved in the DOING of pt. care. So, just tough it out. You'll be glad you did. And is DOES get better.
 
Am now the chief and frankly, I work more than the previous years. It maybe due to the position but all the 3rd years are hustling a lot more. It only get a bit slower when ur in an elective, which is something to really look forward to.
With all the new guidelines that ACGME came up, the interns are now "pampered" more than ever. And to think they even want it down to 16 hrs from 30!

As an intern, and with respect, according to the ACGME rules I am not any more "pampered" than you were as an intern unless you've been a resident for 8 years. The 30 hour rule has been around for more than two years.
 
The way I look at it is that you had 2 years to prepare for intern year. In otherwords 3rd and 4th year of medical school. So after only a few months of internship you could get into the swing of things. You knew the expectations and so forth.

Then, as a PGY-2 and PGY-3, you have your first 2 years to prepare for being an attending. It is different at first, trying to learn the big picture and focusing on things like discharge planning and long term goals of care. In some respects it's almost easier to be the scut-monkey and just take care of business.

So I wouldn't get too down on yourself. Being a senior resident is an adjustment and takes time. You weren't an awesome intern the first day; just be patient. As everyone has said above: It Gets Better.
 
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