Doesn't it frustrate you when...

[flumazenil]

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hey everyone ..end of my third year here and am currently on my medicine rotation and have one more rotation remaining. well anyways i just wanted to see if other students feel/felt this way too...

so during rounds ill be asked a question by the attending sometimes not to hard sometimes really hard- regardless,in my head i know the answer but when i talk out loud i say the bare basic answer..then when i come home and look it in the text.. i get all frustrated thinking " I KNEW THAT!!!!!" is it me or do certain attendings know EXACTLY when and WHAT To ask that completely throws you off....this has been happening to me for a few days now and i am convinced the attending thoroughly thinks i am a complete idiot...even though i know I am not and I try to work my hardest but during those rounds....ughh its a diff story...

 

[DoctorFunk]

Pretty sure it's just you. Gotta just shrug that crap off man, it's almost time for 4th year!

 

[Scaredshizzles]

I think most people experience that at some point. Some people, probably like Dr. Funk, don't even realize that there is more to certain questions. Most attendings are just trying to help you to learn to think on your feet because you do sometimes have to make split second decisions. I don't think there is anything malicious to it. Occasionally attendings will ask open ended questions where people who like to memorize long lists (having no idea what the items on the list mean and no idea what the liklihood of a differential is based on presentation) tend to shine through. But questions that make you think ,most of us at this stage struggle at to come up with a quick answer, so it is nothing to feel bad about. As long as you show you are trying, thinking fairly logically, and improving as the roation goes on, as well as hard working, you should get a reasonably good eval from the vast majority of attendings and you won't be thought of as an idiot.

 

[Ashers]

I think most people experience that at some point. Some people, probably like Dr. Funk, don't even realize that there is more to certain questions. Most attendings are just trying to help you to learn to think on your feet because you do sometimes have to make split second decisions. I don't think there is anything malicious to it. Occasionally attendings will ask open ended questions where people who like to memorize long lists (having no idea what the items on the list mean and no idea what the liklihood of a differential is based on presentation) tend to shine through. But questions that make you think ,most of us at this stage struggle at to come up with a quick answer, so it is nothing to feel bad about. As long as you show you are trying, thinking fairly logically, and improving as the roation goes on, as well as hard working, you should get a reasonably good eval from the vast majority of attendings and you won't be thought of as an idiot.

I think Funk is more sarcastic than anything else. He probably knows that many if not all people have those "D'oh!" moments after answering questions, not having entire differentials.

Or, if this was one of those moments of seriousness from him, it's only because he's never gotten a question wrong. Yes, he is that smart.

 

[akpete]

At any rate, I really suck at the "what am I thinking" game. Not only do I not get the answer right, but I don't even always understand what the hell the attending is asking.

 

[DoctorFunk]

I think Funk is more sarcastic than anything else. He probably knows that many if not all people have those "D'oh!" moments after answering questions, not having entire differentials.

Or, if this was one of those moments of seriousness from him, it's only because he's never gotten a question wrong. Yes, he is that smart.

Thanks Ash, definitely sarcasm on my part. Serious point though: I think that by this time in the year most of us have come to the realization that our attendings rarely have the time necessary to really evaluate our fund of knowledge, hence their opinions on our knowledge base (unless we are either incredibly smart or idiotic) are baseless.

So those rapid-fire pimpings on rounds are really just a method for them to teach us stuff that they probably don't expect us to know. The students that thrive in those situations are probably the ones that realize that and just look at it as a learning opportunity without putting pressure on themselves. They get the answer right? Cool. They totally strike out? Who cares, at least now they know the right answer. The attending is spouting off about crap that is probably not supported by the literature? They keep their mouths shut and confirm their hunch by reading about the subject that night.

Just relax and realize that clinical grading is 80% random, 20% studying for the shelf and learn to evaluate your own clinical acumen and you'll be a much more satisfied (and probably productive) student.

 

[Ypo.]

So those rapid-fire pimpings on rounds are really just a method for them to teach us stuff that they probably don't expect us to know. The students that thrive in those situations are probably the ones that realize that and just look at it as a learning opportunity without putting pressure on themselves. They get the answer right? Cool. They totally strike out? Who cares, at least now they know the right answer. The attending is spouting off about crap that is probably not supported by the literature? They keep their mouths shut and confirm their hunch by reading about the subject that night.

Just relax and realize that clinical grading is 80% random, 20% studying for the shelf and learn to evaluate your own clinical acumen and you'll be a much more satisfied (and probably productive) student.

I'm in perfect agreement with this statement.

And yes, we all have those instances where we clam up (usually when we feel intimidated or put on the spot). It gets better.

At the beginning of the year I was so used to thinking in multiple choice, whenever anyone pimped me I felt like asking "where are my options?"

 

[Arsenic]

Thanks Ash, definitely sarcasm on my part. Serious point though: I think that by this time in the year most of us have come to the realization that our attendings rarely have the time necessary to really evaluate our fund of knowledge, hence their opinions on our knowledge base (unless we are either incredibly smart or idiotic) are baseless.

So those rapid-fire pimpings on rounds are really just a method for them to teach us stuff that they probably don't expect us to know. The students that thrive in those situations are probably the ones that realize that and just look at it as a learning opportunity without putting pressure on themselves. They get the answer right? Cool. They totally strike out? Who cares, at least now they know the right answer. The attending is spouting off about crap that is probably not supported by the literature? They keep their mouths shut and confirm their hunch by reading about the subject that night.

Just relax and realize that clinical grading is 80% random, 20% studying for the shelf and learn to evaluate your own clinical acumen and you'll be a much more satisfied (and probably productive) student.

agreed, once i realized this.... 3rd year became so much easier. you either know it or you don't, if you get pimped and look like a fool... whatever. afterwards i'm just like, what are we getting for lunch?

 

[Blade28]

Remember that pimping is mainly not a way for the attending to test your knowledge of facts. It's more to present an opportunity for him/her to teach you something.

 

[Doowai]

During my OB/GYn rotation, my preceptor asked me a question while we were in his office I wasn't quite sure of the answer to. We were in office that day. He got called out for something. It started to take awhile so I started looking through his bookshelves for a book that would give me the answers. Of course he walked back in on me and asked if I was cheating. I lied and said no. We then saw the l-a-s-t patient of the day. We went back to his office, I was hoping he forgot he had asked me a question. But no - he asked me again. I started to answer and he got called out again. I left - after all we had seen the last patient. And it was Friday.I came back in the next week. I walked in and said hi to him. He said "so..." and started right back in again on the question. he did not even bother saying hi.

 

[Arsenic]

During my OB/GYn rotation, my preceptor asked me a question while we were in his office I wasn't quite sure of the answer to. We were in office that day. He got called out for something. It started to take awhile so I started looking through his bookshelves for a book that would give me the answers. Of course he walked back in on me and asked if I was cheating. I lied and said no. We then saw the l-a-s-t patient of the day. We went back to his office, I was hoping he forgot he had asked me a question. But no - he asked me again. I started to answer and he got called out again. I left - after all we had seen the last patient. And it was Friday.I came back in the next week. I walked in and said hi to him. He said "so..." and started right back in again on the question. he did not even bother saying hi.

WOW, that must have been a really important teaching point he wanted to make .

 

[Joannavr]

During my OB/GYn rotation, my preceptor asked me a question while we were in his office I wasn't quite sure of the answer to. We were in office that day. He got called out for something. It started to take awhile so I started looking through his bookshelves for a book that would give me the answers. Of course he walked back in on me and asked if I was cheating. I lied and said no. We then saw the l-a-s-t patient of the day. We went back to his office, I was hoping he forgot he had asked me a question. But no - he asked me again. I started to answer and he got called out again. I left - after all we had seen the last patient. And it was Friday.I came back in the next week. I walked in and said hi to him. He said "so..." and started right back in again on the question. he did not even bother saying hi.

And of course having had the full weekend, you knew the answer this time.

 

[DarthNeurology]

Remember that pimping is mainly not a way for the attending to test your knowledge of facts. It's more to present an opportunity for him/her to teach you something.

Yeah, sometimes it is just a teaching point, i.e. not something we'd expect to know. But usually I get asked more than 50% of questions which can be answered by reading first aid for whatever clerkship. I.e. if an attending asks you in Ob/Gyn how long post-pregnancy a woman can get pre-eclampsia/eclamspia that is a knowledge question, same thing if an attending asks you in surgery if you would use 1/2 NS or just NS as a resucitation fluid, obviously if you know the answer you spit it out, if you don't know then it does make you look bad. On the rare case than an attending asks you a pimp question a day later they want to see if you care about what you are learning and looked it up, i.e. shame on you if you trick me once, shame on me if you trick me twice.

 

[Doowai]

And of course having had the full weekend, you knew the answer this time.

No

 

[doc20]

I am only good at answering at multiple choice answers , lol cant just bring answers from my head anymore

 

[GoBuckeyes913]

hey everyone ..end of my third year here and am currently on my medicine rotation and have one more rotation remaining. well anyways i just wanted to see if other students feel/felt this way too...

so during rounds ill be asked a question by the attending sometimes not to hard sometimes really hard- regardless,in my head i know the answer but when i talk out loud i say the bare basic answer..then when i come home and look it in the text.. i get all frustrated thinking " I KNEW THAT!!!!!" is it me or do certain attendings know EXACTLY when and WHAT To ask that completely throws you off....this has been happening to me for a few days now and i am convinced the attending thoroughly thinks i am a complete idiot...even though i know I am not and I try to work my hardest but during those rounds....ughh its a diff story...

Sounds like you got "cortisol block" lately. It happens, we all brainfart every now and then.

 

[Old_Mil]

The problem with being a third year on the wards is that a lot of what you know is stored in your brain in multiple choice format.

 

[roja]

The problem with being a third year on the wards is that a lot of what you know is stored in your brain in multiple choice format.

nicely said. Can I quote you on every UME talk I give?

 

[mules05]

Remember that pimping is mainly not a way for the attending to test your knowledge of facts. It's more to present an opportunity for him/her to teach you something.

Once I realized this pimping became more fun for me. I like to think of it as a game of medical Trivial Pursuit- which happens to be one of my favorite games, second only to scrabble. I also sometimes try to keep score to see how many i'm getting right or wrong. Fun, huh?

 

[Blade28]

Once I realized this pimping became more fun for me. I like to think of it as a game of medical Trivial Pursuit- which happens to be one of my favorite games, second only to scrabble. I also sometimes try to keep score to see how many i'm getting right or wrong. Fun, huh?

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