extreme trouble dealing with stress

[hope22222]

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Hi.....

I am doing well in my coursework with honors in all classes, but I am having extreme difficulty dealing with medical school stress.

To give you some background, my school changed to a new curriculum this year. I can't tell If I am stressed because of "typical" or "normal" medical school stress, or because the new curriculum has too many kinks that need to be worked out. There are so many complaints against the new curriculum and the upperclassmen have repeatedly commented on the increased workload of the new curriculum compared to the old curriculum. Our entire medical school class as a whole is extremely stressed as wellness surveys reveal MUCH greater levels of anxiety and depression compared to the medical school classes prior to the curriculum change. The environment at my school is very dark and discouraging with a "suck it up" attitude from faculty. Either way, the curriculum is not changing and it will be even more rigorous next year.

I just don't know if I can operate under this extreme stress any longer. I can't eat or drink, and I have lost so much weight this past year. It is 3am, and I am so worried and stressed out that I cannot fall asleep. I am currently having a mental breakdown and I have been crying all night long.

I am seriously considering leaving medical school, because I do not think I can handle it much longer. I am not sure what my next step should be, but I need some help... Please help me.

 

[YF786]

Hi.....

I am doing well in my coursework with honors in all classes, but I am having extreme difficulty dealing with medical school stress.

To give you some background, my school changed to a new curriculum this year. I can't tell If I am stressed because of "typical" or "normal" medical school stress, or because the new curriculum has too many kinks that need to be worked out. There are so many complaints against the new curriculum and the upperclassmen have repeatedly commented on the increased workload of the new curriculum compared to the old curriculum. Our entire medical school class as a whole is extremely stressed as wellness surveys reveal MUCH greater levels of anxiety and depression compared to the medical school classes prior to the curriculum change. The environment at my school is very dark and discouraging with a "suck it up" attitude from faculty. Either way, the curriculum is not changing and it will be even more rigorous next year.

I just don't know if I can operate under this extreme stress any longer. I can't eat or drink, and I have lost so much weight this past year. It is 3am, and I am so worried and stressed out that I cannot fall asleep. I am currently having a mental breakdown and I have been crying all night long.

I am seriously considering leaving medical school, because I do not think I can handle it much longer. I am not sure what my next step should be, but I need some help... Please help me.

I am so sorry, please don't make any decisions right away. Take your time and think about it and talk to someone that can help you clear your mind. It will allow you to make a sound decision instead of a haste one. Right now no matter what you think about nothing will make sense. Try to sleep and I know it's not easy but try ur best to calm down.
Later you can think about why you have decided go to med school? What are the reasons? And is this much stress worth it? Will you be happy doing something else? Think about what you will enjoy doing the rest of your life?
I wish you all the best and I pray you get the help to help you decide what is right for you.

 

[673441]

Damn, I'm sorry to hear that. You ever try sleep aids like melatonin or diphenhydramine? Also, do you work out? That seems to help me cope with stress. I fit in about 1 hour a day for working out, 1 hour for miscellaneous where I usually do something else other than study, including but not limited to, sex and online poker.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[TBV]

You should take your mental health issue to a physician not an anonymous forum full of sarcastic a**holes like me

 

[daivimarga]

Hey! What do you call a doctor with a c average?

A doctor!!


Does your school have mental health resources?

 

[emergentmd]

Wow, med school difficult? No kidding.

Sorry that I do not have much sympathy for your work load. I have sympathy for you mental condition and to blame the work load is unfair.

I think you have deeper issues and medicine may not be for you bc its stressful.

Before hour restrictions, I did 120+hrs a week on top of meetings/lectures on some months. 100+hrs a week on most off service rotations. The surgeons were doing 120-140hrs/wk on most months. The NSG were doing 140+hrs a week 6 months straight.

If you are doing 100+ hrs/wk now, then I can have alittle sympathy for you but I doubt you are putting that much time in.

 

[daivimarga]

Wow, med school difficult? No kidding.

Sorry that I do not have much sympathy for your work load. I have sympathy for you mental condition and to blame the work load is unfair.

I think you have deeper issues and medicine may not be for you bc its stressful.

Before hour restrictions, I did 120+hrs a week on top of meetings/lectures on some months. 100+hrs a week on most off service rotations. The surgeons were doing 120-140hrs/wk on most months. The NSG were doing 140+hrs a week 6 months straight.

If you are doing 100+ hrs/wk now, then I can have alittle sympathy for you but I doubt you are putting that much time in.

Um, unnecessary. Also it doesn't sound like he's in residency, he's studying. Relax your ego.

 

[anktheonc]

Um, unnecessary. Also it doesn't sound like he's in residency, he's studying. Relax your ego.

he/she obviously wouldn't talk to people like that in real life so they hide behind an internet forum to bully someone. I bet you feel real badass @emergentmd, don't ya bud.

OP don't listen to the douches. You've gotten this far, so you can keep going. Talk to others and get some type of supports group going, and maybe get some professional help if needed. They're there for a reason, because they want to help.

 

[Anicetus]

Hey! What do you call a doctor with a c average?

A doctor!!


Does your school have mental health resources? What exactly is it you're stressed about- keeping up with everything? It sounds like you're doing fine... I feel like you are more exhausted than acutely stressed about an issue- does that make sense?

This may be loopy to you but a really quick way to calm down in a hurry is to do fast naval breathing while pumping your stomach and closing your eyes. Pranic breathing or "breath of fire." I'm a yogi so that's my respite.

While I do agree with the rest of your post, the bolder is an outdated statement that really shouldn't be used in today's medical school education. There is too much competition to get to desirably located residencies and desirable specialties so you may as well be saying "what do you call the lowest student in the medical school class? A rural medicine PCP in northern Nevada"

 

[mimelim]

Hi.....

I am doing well in my coursework with honors in all classes, but I am having extreme difficulty dealing with medical school stress.

To give you some background, my school changed to a new curriculum this year. I can't tell If I am stressed because of "typical" or "normal" medical school stress, or because the new curriculum has too many kinks that need to be worked out. There are so many complaints against the new curriculum and the upperclassmen have repeatedly commented on the increased workload of the new curriculum compared to the old curriculum. Our entire medical school class as a whole is extremely stressed as wellness surveys reveal MUCH greater levels of anxiety and depression compared to the medical school classes prior to the curriculum change. The environment at my school is very dark and discouraging with a "suck it up" attitude from faculty. Either way, the curriculum is not changing and it will be even more rigorous next year.

I just don't know if I can operate under this extreme stress any longer. I can't eat or drink, and I have lost so much weight this past year. It is 3am, and I am so worried and stressed out that I cannot fall asleep. I am currently having a mental breakdown and I have been crying all night long.

I am seriously considering leaving medical school, because I do not think I can handle it much longer. I am not sure what my next step should be, but I need some help... Please help me.

#1 Nobody on this forum can help you. None of us know you, what you are exaggerating, what you aren't, what other students are going through and how they are coping, what the actual attitudes of the faculty are etc. You need to seek in person help in the form of counseling and mentorship. Your school has a vested interest in you doing well. There are confidential resources at every school in the country to help.
#2 The answer can be, for your own well being and your long term happiness, you should leave medical school. It could also be, you need to take a break, build up your resilience reserves and come back. It could also be that things need to be changed because there are bad things actually going on at your school. Again, since none of us are privy to what is actually happening and have a single student's perspective, you need to talk to people at your school to get better, more focused advice.
#3 I'm not a particular fan of @emergentmd 's post, but to translate it a little bit... Medical school is challenging, but it is not the finish line. Residency, even for those that prefer it over medical school (like myself), is longer, sometimes harder hours. The actual practice of medicine can also be very stressful. It is lost among pre-meds, medical students and even some physicians, but not everyone should become a doctor. This is not the end all be all profession that everyone should be in. After spending a lot of time working with students, it is clear that there are people that would be much happier long term doing something else. We try to push those people from ever applying in the first place, but every school has a couple of students a year that get in, that would be happier doing something else and end up leaving. There is no shame in that. I am in no way trying to imply that this applies to you. I am simply stating that it should be in EVERY student's mind.

Damn, I'm sorry to hear that. You ever try sleep aids like melatonin or diphenhydramine? Also, do you work out? That seems to help me cope with stress. I fit in about 1 hour a day for working out, 1 hour for miscellaneous where I usually do something else other than study, including but not limited to, sex and online poker.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

First, do not give medical advice as a medical student. Second, do not give medical advice on SDN. We have entire campaigns at our hospital to stop the use of Benadryl as a sleep aid because of it's negative effects and the rapid tolerance development. The solution to stress related sleep problems is not, "medicate". Further, there is a big difference between stress and psychological disorders, which based on the very limited information here the OP could easily have.

 

[emergentmd]

Um, unnecessary. Also it doesn't sound like he's in residency, he's studying. Relax your ego.

This has nothing to do with ego. I am being honest and Frank. Changing a med school curriculum is causing that much stress where you can't eat/sleep? Wait until he/she hits residency, this gets magnified.

You don't think when I went from Med school probably going to class/studying 50-60 hrs/week then into residency doing a surgical rotation my first month doing 100-120hrs/wk was not a Big change in Curriculum?

All doctors go through a change in curriculum throughout their training. That is just part of it and I have had my times of being stressed but never to the point of losing sleep/not eating.

Again, I have sympathy for his/her medical problems, but blaming it on a change in curriculum is short sighted.

 

[Pacna]

This has nothing to do with ego. I am being honest and Frank. Changing a med school curriculum is causing that much stress where you can't eat/sleep? Wait until he/she hits residency, this gets magnified.

You don't think when I went from Med school probably going to class/studying 50-60 hrs/week then into residency doing a surgical rotation my first month doing 100-120hrs/wk was not a Big change in Curriculum?

All doctors go through a change in curriculum throughout their training. That is just part of it and I have had my times of being stressed but never to the point of losing sleep/not eating.

Again, I have sympathy for his/her medical problems, but blaming it on a change in curriculum is short sighted.

Not everyone who lifts gets hurt, and if you're lucky enough to avoid mental breakdowns in medical school, awesome for you. Seriously, that's great. But when someone else's trachea is being crushed under the bar, the last thing that should come to your mind is "well I've never had that problem and I've lifted heavier than that." The OP isn't on your level yet. That's no reason to deride them.

>>> OP, you'll recover. Don't dispair. Lots of people struggle emotionally, especially when springitis starts to set in. Don't be shy about seeking help, both academic and mental health. You absolutely don't want to sacrifice your long-term potential because of this short-term struggle. You may need to take an ax to your current study strategy or schedule, but you can do it. The only person who can stop you is you. 😉

 

[emergentmd]

Not everyone who lifts gets hurt, and if you're lucky enough to avoid mental breakdowns in medical school, awesome for you. Seriously, that's great. But when someone else's trachea is being crushed under the bar, the last thing that should come to your mind is "well I've never had that problem and I've lifted heavier than that." The OP isn't on your level yet. That's no reason to deride them.

>>> OP, you'll recover. Don't dispair. Lots of people struggle emotionally, especially when springitis starts to set in. Don't be shy about seeking help, both academic and mental health. You absolutely don't want to sacrifice your long-term potential because of this short-term struggle. You may need to take an ax to your current study strategy or schedule, but you can do it. The only person who can stop you is you. 😉

I apologize to OP or anyone I offended. I along with many attendings get tired of the increased whining from Med students. The work ethics has dropped every year. I stopped working with Med students because of this and I love to teach those who want to learn.

I see med students go on their EM rotations late, poorly dressed, poorly prepared. I am not the only one irritate about this. IF you are going to walk in late, atleast say sorry and don't do it again. Don't walk in like it never happened or you are entitled to being late. Don't look disinterested the whole shift, on your phone texting/facebooking. I get that you are not going to EM but when I was in Med school, would never act so disinterested.

Also, the complaints I hear from Med students are nauseating about the long hours they have to carry. How they just want to go into a residency with cushy hours.

Now fire away.

 

[673441]

#1 Nobody on this forum can help you. None of us know you, what you are exaggerating, what you aren't, what other students are going through and how they are coping, what the actual attitudes of the faculty are etc. You need to seek in person help in the form of counseling and mentorship. Your school has a vested interest in you doing well. There are confidential resources at every school in the country to help.
#2 The answer can be, for your own well being and your long term happiness, you should leave medical school. It could also be, you need to take a break, build up your resilience reserves and come back. It could also be that things need to be changed because there are bad things actually going on at your school. Again, since none of us are privy to what is actually happening and have a single student's perspective, you need to talk to people at your school to get better, more focused advice.
#3 I'm not a particular fan of @emergentmd 's post, but to translate it a little bit... Medical school is challenging, but it is not the finish line. Residency, even for those that prefer it over medical school (like myself), is longer, sometimes harder hours. The actual practice of medicine can also be very stressful. It is lost among pre-meds, medical students and even some physicians, but not everyone should become a doctor. This is not the end all be all profession that everyone should be in. After spending a lot of time working with students, it is clear that there are people that would be much happier long term doing something else. We try to push those people from ever applying in the first place, but every school has a couple of students a year that get in, that would be happier doing something else and end up leaving. There is no shame in that. I am in no way trying to imply that this applies to you. I am simply stating that it should be in EVERY student's mind.



First, do not give medical advice as a medical student. Second, do not give medical advice on SDN. We have entire campaigns at our hospital to stop the use of Benadryl as a sleep aid because of it's negative effects and the rapid tolerance development. The solution to stress related sleep problems is not, "medicate". Further, there is a big difference between stress and psychological disorders, which based on the very limited information here the OP could easily have.

I wasn't giving medical advice I was giving him my opinion on what I'd do. This is not a medical setting as someone already said so obviously the OP wouldn't take that for face value. Especially considering I'm only a medical student who wouldn't know about diphenhydramine having rapid tolerance...


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[Law2Doc]

I wasn't giving medical advice I was giving him my opinion on what I'd do. This is not a medical setting as someone already said so obviously the OP wouldn't take that for face value. Especially considering I'm only a medical student who wouldn't know about diphenhydramine having rapid tolerance...

On a "student doctor board" when you suggest a specific medication by name you are giving medical advice. You don't get to say it's "my opinion" after the fact. You just shouldn't do this, period. Especially when you apparently don't even know the side effects.

Take notice that none of the doctors on here are telling someone who really needs to go talk to someone as counseling to "go take a Benadryl" or other medication -- Not sleeping was actually the least concerning aspect of the above post. Your body will sleep when it needs to, prescribing things for sleep should be done sparingly, even in the hospital setting.

 

[ortnakas]

I just don't know if I can operate under this extreme stress any longer. I can't eat or drink, and I have lost so much weight this past year. It is 3am, and I am so worried and stressed out that I cannot fall asleep. I am currently having a mental breakdown and I have been crying all night long.

I am seriously considering leaving medical school, because I do not think I can handle it much longer. I am not sure what my next step should be, but I need some help... Please help me.

Your school should have mental health resources, or information how to access them. Get help now. You are not the first medical student to struggle with feelings like this, and you're far from the last.

 

[Anicetus]

I wasn't giving medical advice I was giving him my opinion on what I'd do. This is not a medical setting as someone already said so obviously the OP wouldn't take that for face value. Especially considering I'm only a medical student who wouldn't know about diphenhydramine having rapid tolerance...


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

........ What the heck are you learning??

 

[TBV]

........ What the heck are you learning??

Caribbean

 

[Rekt]

Wow, med school difficult? No kidding.

Sorry that I do not have much sympathy for your work load. I have sympathy for you mental condition and to blame the work load is unfair.

I think you have deeper issues and medicine may not be for you bc its stressful.

Before hour restrictions, I did 120+hrs a week on top of meetings/lectures on some months. 100+hrs a week on most off service rotations. The surgeons were doing 120-140hrs/wk on most months. The NSG were doing 140+hrs a week 6 months straight.

If you are doing 100+ hrs/wk now, then I can have alittle sympathy for you but I doubt you are putting that much time in.

I was just waiting for the walking both ways up hill part.

Lets roll it back a bit to when you graduated, 1998ish?. How much easier was it for you to get in? Less competition, lower MCAT scores, lower GPAs, SIGNIFICANTLY lower debt, lower stress, less class competition since grades were less important, and of course the biggie boards not being as important as they are now, etc.

Please go, nobody cares about some salty ass old ER doc.

 

[emergentmd]

I was just waiting for the walking both ways up hill part.

Lets roll it back a bit to when you graduated, 1998ish?. How much easier was it for you to get in? Less competition, lower MCAT scores, lower GPAs, SIGNIFICANTLY lower debt, lower stress, less class competition since grades were less important, and of course the biggie boards not being as important as they are now, etc.

Please go, nobody cares about some salty ass old ER doc.

I am sure I walked much farther than you to get where I am. Truth sometimes hurt. Med students are coddled relative to the past.

I doubt that med school is any more competitive but I will put my 3.95 GPA from a top Engineering school up against most med students today and still get in.

 

[W19]

I am sure I walked much farther than you to get where I am. Truth sometimes hurt. Med students are coddled relative to the past.

I doubt that med school is any more competitive but I will put my 3.95 GPA from a top Engineering school up against most med students today and still get in.

You are really something else! Geeeeeez.

 

[Rekt]

I am sure I walked much farther than you to get where I am. Truth sometimes hurt. Med students are coddled relative to the past.

I doubt that med school is any more competitive but I will put my 3.95 GPA from a top Engineering school up against most med students today and still get in.

I'm surprised you didn't mention your placarded 42MCAT that you hang above your bed.

 

[Affiche]

I am sure I walked much farther than you to get where I am. Truth sometimes hurt. Med students are coddled relative to the past.

I doubt that med school is any more competitive but I will put my 3.95 GPA from a top Engineering school up against most med students today and still get in.

You are out of touch with reality.

Further, you aren't providing anything useful to the thread. If you have an issue with med students being late or unprofessional, then take it up with those med students, not someone on an anonymous forum who is asking for help with feeling depressed and anxious.

 

[zeppelinpage4]

I am sure I walked much farther than you to get where I am. Truth sometimes hurt. Med students are coddled relative to the past.

I doubt that med school is any more competitive but I will put my 3.95 GPA from a top Engineering school up against most med students today and still get in.

Although I see your viewpoint, and I may find that years later I was wrong. I believe your attitude is, what's wrong with medicine today. The suck it up and push yourself attitude doesn't breed better physicians. I expect to work hard and put in the hours, but beyond a certain point it becomes counterproductive to the physicians/residents/students personal health and psyche. Which in turn hurts patients. Current med students aren't lazier. We just value balance and personal wellness a lot more than you seem to do. And if you got through this process with your health and sanity intact, I applaud you but not all of us can.
As for your students being lazy, please don't generalize. They very likely could have been looking up medical info. or texting something important to their resident.
Anyhow, I don't mean anything personal, I'm sure you're a great doc and a great teacher, but please try to consider that not all of us think or feel the same way, and in this case I respectfully disagree.


To OP, please seek professional help. Your school should have a CAPS office, you're definitely not alone, and many of us have felt the way you feel. But try not to make any major decisions until after you've had a chance to clear your head a bit and gotten some help.

 

[Pacna]

I apologize to OP or anyone I offended. I along with many attendings get tired of the increased whining from Med students. The work ethics has dropped every year. I stopped working with Med students because of this and I love to teach those who want to learn.

I see med students go on their EM rotations late, poorly dressed, poorly prepared. I am not the only one irritate about this. IF you are going to walk in late, atleast say sorry and don't do it again. Don't walk in like it never happened or you are entitled to being late. Don't look disinterested the whole shift, on your phone texting/facebooking. I get that you are not going to EM but when I was in Med school, would never act so disinterested.

Also, the complaints I hear from Med students are nauseating about the long hours they have to carry. How they just want to go into a residency with cushy hours.

Now fire away.

I think it was at least well-inkled in your earlier posts that this was where you were coming from, but I appreciate you saying this. People perform as lowly as you allow them to, so I for one am glad there are people like yourself who hold students to high standards. Without a mentor who expects a lot of me, lawd knows how much less I would be.

 

[Goro]

Carib student, I believe.

........ What the heck are you learning??

 

[Goro]

Get to your school's counseling center, STAT! Also go chat with any clinical Faculty you have a rapport with or trust.

You're going to have plenty of non-compliant patients; please don't be one yourself.

Hi.....

I am doing well in my coursework with honors in all classes, but I am having extreme difficulty dealing with medical school stress.

To give you some background, my school changed to a new curriculum this year. I can't tell If I am stressed because of "typical" or "normal" medical school stress, or because the new curriculum has too many kinks that need to be worked out. There are so many complaints against the new curriculum and the upperclassmen have repeatedly commented on the increased workload of the new curriculum compared to the old curriculum. Our entire medical school class as a whole is extremely stressed as wellness surveys reveal MUCH greater levels of anxiety and depression compared to the medical school classes prior to the curriculum change. The environment at my school is very dark and discouraging with a "suck it up" attitude from faculty. Either way, the curriculum is not changing and it will be even more rigorous next year.

I just don't know if I can operate under this extreme stress any longer. I can't eat or drink, and I have lost so much weight this past year. It is 3am, and I am so worried and stressed out that I cannot fall asleep. I am currently having a mental breakdown and I have been crying all night long.

I am seriously considering leaving medical school, because I do not think I can handle it much longer. I am not sure what my next step should be, but I need some help... Please help me.

 

[Wordead]

Caribbean

Savage

 

[solitarius]

I apologize to OP or anyone I offended. I along with many attendings get tired of the increased whining from Med students. The work ethics has dropped every year. I stopped working with Med students because of this and I love to teach those who want to learn.

The greater culture has definitely changed. Telling people to "man up" or suck it up is likely to be counter-productive.

Are today's peeps softer and more entitled? Perhaps. But then again, people today have lower expectations for their lives than past generations (entitled?).

As for softer, I don't know. Maybe it's just people have been conditioned into self-censorship to avoid offending others. And they would expect others to do the same.

 

[Wordead]

The greater culture has definitely changed. Telling people to "man up" or suck it up is likely to be counter-productive.

Are today's peeps softer and more entitled? Perhaps. But then again, people today have lower expectations for their lives than past generations (entitled?).

As for softer, I don't know. Maybe it's just people have been conditioned into self-censorship to avoid offending others. And they would expect others to do the same.

The culture has changed and he's entitled to his opinion (that I agree with) that it's not for the better. Look at how everyone is jumping down his throat for telling OP that medicine is not for him. Who here can really say that it is? This guy is having a meltdown over his preclinical years. Do you think it gets better? If this guy just tries to sunshine and rainbows through his issues like most of the posters in this thread are suggesting and ends up having a meltdown while he's a resident, you've all done him a huge disservice and encouraged him to waste an extra 3-4 years of his life to no benefit. THAT is what is truly counter productive in this thread, not the admittedly abrasive response from emergentmd.

Mimelim's post is spot on.

 

[HelpPleaseMD]

Hi.....

I am doing well in my coursework with honors in all classes, but I am having extreme difficulty dealing with medical school stress.

To give you some background, my school changed to a new curriculum this year. I can't tell If I am stressed because of "typical" or "normal" medical school stress, or because the new curriculum has too many kinks that need to be worked out. There are so many complaints against the new curriculum and the upperclassmen have repeatedly commented on the increased workload of the new curriculum compared to the old curriculum. Our entire medical school class as a whole is extremely stressed as wellness surveys reveal MUCH greater levels of anxiety and depression compared to the medical school classes prior to the curriculum change. The environment at my school is very dark and discouraging with a "suck it up" attitude from faculty. Either way, the curriculum is not changing and it will be even more rigorous next year.

I just don't know if I can operate under this extreme stress any longer. I can't eat or drink, and I have lost so much weight this past year. It is 3am, and I am so worried and stressed out that I cannot fall asleep. I am currently having a mental breakdown and I have been crying all night long.

I am seriously considering leaving medical school, because I do not think I can handle it much longer. I am not sure what my next step should be, but I need some help... Please help me.

OP, please seek help. Talk to your school's counselor. See what they say, and what changes you can make to reduce your perceived stress/anxiety/insomnia. Visit your PCP. Get your health in order. Remember what you are in now is not a sprint, but a marathon. Do your best, but be okay with not being #1. Its hard, I know, as many of us came in at the top of our undergrad, but for your sanity.. you have to just do what you can.

It will get better.

 

[emergentmd]

The culture has changed and he's entitled to his opinion (that I agree with) that it's not for the better. Look at how everyone is jumping down his throat for telling OP that medicine is not for him. Who here can really say that it is? This guy is having a meltdown over his preclinical years. Do you think it gets better? If this guy just tries to sunshine and rainbows through his issues like most of the posters in this thread are suggesting and ends up having a meltdown while he's a resident, you've all done him a huge disservice and encouraged him to waste an extra 3-4 years of his life to no benefit. THAT is what is truly counter productive in this thread, not the admittedly abrasive response from emergentmd.

Mimelim's post is spot on.

Thank you. My point is not to tell him to Man up or Suck it up. Everyone goes through a Suck it up period in medical training, that the challenge of medicine.

My blunt point is to point out that if a curriculum change is causing so much issues, then medicine may not be the right path. A curriculum change is nothing compared to what is ahead of you. Seriously. Is it an inconvenience? Is it more work? Is it ridiculous? Sure, I bet it is.

Is it worse than the long hours, many failures, many mistakes, patient deaths that you will deal with later on? Give me a break

 

[673441]

Carib student, I believe.

Jesus Christ chill the eff out! I haven't learned that yet... You guys are so damn uptight it kills me.

 

[PhysioMD]

You know there are places in the world where doctors make a normal salary and work normal hours and believe in a normal work/life balance. I feel sorry for anyone who is "proud" to spend 140hrs/week working. Personally I feel that is ridiculous and likely has huge impacts on their personal life. Interestingly, most of the "egotistical" docs I've come across are just compensating for a lack of a normal personal life. they're trying to show off how tough and cool they are by working 200hrs in a row with no sleep but really it's because they have nothing going for them outside work.
What I'm trying to say is, get your degree then enter a field or move to a place that gives you the work/life balance you desire. Just pass your tests and do well on USMLE. You don't have to be the top student in your class.

 

[673441]

You know there are places in the world where doctors make a normal salary and work normal hours and believe in a normal work/life balance. I feel sorry for anyone who is "proud" to spend 140hrs/week working. Personally I feel that is ridiculous and likely has huge impacts on their personal life. Interestingly, most of the "egotistical" docs I've come across are just compensating for a lack of a normal personal life. they're trying to show off how tough and cool they are by working 200hrs in a row with no sleep but really it's because they have nothing going for them outside work.
What I'm trying to say is, get your degree then enter a field or move to a place that gives you the work/life balance you desire. Just pass your tests and do well on USMLE. You don't have to be the top student in your class.

You can see the effects of some of those egotistical docs on this thread.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[hope22222]

Thank you for all the responses. I posted on SDN because I did not know where to turn to at 3am.
I ended up talking to faculty this morning immediately after I woke up.

 

[ortnakas]

I apologize to OP or anyone I offended. I along with many attendings get tired of the increased whining from Med students. The work ethics has dropped every year. I stopped working with Med students because of this and I love to teach those who want to learn.

I see med students go on their EM rotations late, poorly dressed, poorly prepared. I am not the only one irritate about this. IF you are going to walk in late, atleast say sorry and don't do it again. Don't walk in like it never happened or you are entitled to being late. Don't look disinterested the whole shift, on your phone texting/facebooking. I get that you are not going to EM but when I was in Med school, would never act so disinterested.

Also, the complaints I hear from Med students are nauseating about the long hours they have to carry. How they just want to go into a residency with cushy hours.

Now fire away.

You have a lot of really good points on the hours restrictions and what's often been described as a (negative) generational shift in work ethic and attitude. You're an attending, and that means you have a lot more insight on those topics than most of us who have posted so far. That said, those comments would be appropriate and appreciated in a thread on the subject-- they're out of place in a thread about OP's rather fragile mental health.

 

[emergentmd]

You have a lot of really good points on the hours restrictions and what's often been described as a (negative) generational shift in work ethic and attitude. You're an attending, and that means you have a lot more insight on those topics than most of us who have posted so far. That said, those comments would be appropriate and appreciated in a thread on the subject-- they're out of place in a thread about OP's rather fragile mental health.

I understand. OP has a fragile mental state and I feel bad for him/her. But OP is blaming this on the stress of a Curriculum change which I am calling OP out for. Read my reply. I don't want OP to take this as a crutch and blaming it on external issues when IMO, its more of an internal issue. Get help, but don't blame it on the stress of work because it gets harder going forward.

"Sorry that I do not have much sympathy for your work load. I have sympathy for you mental condition and to blame the work load is unfair.

I think you have deeper issues and medicine may not be for you bc its stressful."

 

[Merely]

I am sure I walked much farther than you to get where I am. Truth sometimes hurt. Med students are coddled relative to the past.

I doubt that med school is any more competitive but I will put my 3.95 GPA from a top Engineering school up against most med students today and still get in.

In the words of Donald Trump, "I'd sure like to punch you in the face."

 

[Merely]

Thank you for all the responses. I posted on SDN because I did not know where to turn to at 3am.
I ended up talking to faculty this morning immediately after I woke up.

Listen, you are honoring which means you're doing VERY well so RELAX. Keep working hard, don't stress out too much over grades just try to do your best...easier said than done though I know

 

[zeppelinpage4]

I understand. OP has a fragile mental state and I feel bad for him/her. But OP is blaming this on the stress of a Curriculum change which I am calling OP out for. Read my reply. I don't want OP to take this as a crutch and blaming it on external issues when IMO, its more of an internal issue. Get help, but don't blame it on the stress of work because it gets harder going forward.

"Sorry that I do not have much sympathy for your work load. I have sympathy for you mental condition and to blame the work load is unfair.

I think you have deeper issues and medicine may not be for you bc its stressful."

I honestly interpreted your post as telling OP to suck it up, but what you're saying now and probably originally meant, is a fair point. I still stand by what I said in the first post, but I see where you're coming from.

And even though the curriculum may not be the only problem, it could still be a contributing factor. Our program did a curriculum change with the year after my class, and it really did seem brutal from the outside. Not saying it's harder than residencies or the stresses that come with being an attending, but for new students just getting used to medical school, it can make that initial adjustment more stressful. For OP this may be an issue right now, but it doesn't mean they can't grow from it and handle tougher things in the future either.

Hopefully all will work out well for OP, glad to see they sought out help.