Fear of away rotations - help

[JoseyCali123]

---

Members don't see this ad.

hello everyone, i'm thinking about doing some away rotations but i am so scared that i will not be able to impress the attendings, am i expected to know everything and perform as an intern? i want psych but i am scared i might look stupid at my top choices

 

[Gavanshir]

This is not a therapy forum.. maybe that should be clarified on the front page. You are a medical student on your way to becoming a physician, you are not the only medical student in the world who is doing away rotations. Deal with the emotions if you want to grow.

 

[Merely]

This is not a therapy forum.. maybe that should be clarified on the front page. You are a medical student on your way to becoming a physician, you are not the only medical student in the world who is doing away rotations. Deal with the emotions if you want to grow.

Such an unhelpful post...OP you’re not expected to know much only the very very basics. Enjoy your rotations and use them as a time to grow. The expectations are not high for an intern let alone a medical student. Thousands have done this before you and you will too, good luck.

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Rarely do sub-Is impress with knowledge base. 90% of impressing a program is attitude and willingness. Jump in, take cases, volunteer to do things that need doing, pay attention to work flows and ask if it is appropriate to take on some tasks without being pushed. You'll be great if you put in the effort.

 

[Old&InTheWay]

My advisors told me that aways were not very important in psych unless you have a program you know you really want and think your performance could tip the scales in your favor. But I wish I had done at least one, not so much as a way to get a foot in the door, but as a way to see how other residencies function. I think it would have helped me more easily narrow down what was important to me earlier in the interview season. And as others have said above, I don't think anyone cares what you know when you walk in the door; soliciting honest feedback and putting real effort into improvement is much more impressive. Practice your interviewing skills, take some risks, and expect to fail sometimes (or often). Med school is not about doing everything correct the first time you try, it's about learning.

 

[uhmocksuhsillen]

I did two. As others stated, I simply worked hard, was pleasant, and always offered to help where I could. My knowledge base was not that impressive. For what it's worth, neither were the interns (my subi was in July). I got a great eval out of it so don't sweat it...work hard, be nice, and you'll be good to go.

 

[JoseyCali123]

This is not a therapy forum.. maybe that should be clarified on the front page. You are a medical student on your way to becoming a physician, you are not the only medical student in the world who is doing away rotations. Deal with the emotions if you want to grow.

Honestly shocking for you to tell someone to "deal with the emotions if you want to grow" when you are going into psychiatry yourself. So do you tell that to all your patients? I'm not going to start an online argument with you but I do think you need to re-evaluate the way you treat others, especially medical students who are just worried on how their performance.


On a side note, thank you to everyone else for providing me with some re-assurance, good tips to do well, and positive realistic advices. I really appreciate it! 🙂 If anyone else has more, please do offer!

 

[MacDonaldTriad]

Just remember, it is more important to be humble and motivated and not piss people off than it is to be knowledgeable with the right pedigree. Be yourself. If they don't like you, you don't want to be there anyway. Win win either way.

Gavanshir, are you having a bad day? You are generally more constructive. I hope you have some vacation coming soon, this was a little out of character for you.

 

[scruffy821]

Hi @JoseyCali123! Your feelings are totally valid and understandable. As a resident, I don't tend to care too much about a sub-I's specific knowledge base -- I'm way more influenced and impressed by their personality, attitude, their willingness to being proactive and work hard, their ability to pick up new information and incorporate it into their work, and in general whether they are nice and fun to be around.

That said, you by no means HAVE to do an away sub-I, and while they can help some people get their foot in the door for an interview, I've also seen it hurt some people if they ended up making bad interpersonal impressions. If you're feeling extremely anxious about it, find it difficult to adapt socially, or have struggled with previous clinical evaluations, it could do more harm than good. But if you're someone who people find likable, have performed well in other clinical rotations, and don't think you would get an interview at these programs otherwise, then it might be worth doing.