Getting burnt out on third year

[tunicaexterna]

I’ve felt a steady decline in my morale during third year. I don’t want to circle jerk on rounds and talk about a potassium of 3.3 for 45 minutes. I don’t want to switch attendings every goddamn week and remember what particular presentation format they want. I don’t want to be in the OR and hear a CRNA scream “don’t let her close, she doesn’t know what she’s doing!” I don’t want to learn a new EMR system for 4 weeks then move onto a new one that i’ve Never used before. I’m just SO burnt out. I only have 8 weeks left after this block and then it’s over...it feels so far away though. I know I’m having trouble looking interested in what’s happening and I’m afraid it’s going to effect my evals. I show up every day, I try to do what I’m told. I am on time. I am nice to people. But my heart is not in it right now. Tell me things will get better?

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[Giovanotto]

If I run into third years that aren't feeling like this at this point, I get pretty suspicious. I have to fight from yawning more often than I have ever lately.

 

[Naruhodo]

The toughest parts for me sometimes are when my expectations are high/ I've been looking forward to something and then it disappoints. When I've girded myself for a challenging experience (being yelled at by the scrub nurse for getting too close to the table, or being quizzed on some anatomical/pharmacologic minutiae that I forgot immediately if I ever knew it) it may not be pleasant but it doesn't really get under my skin. What sucks is when I'm excited for the newborn nursery and then the resident tells me it's a busy day so it will be more of a shadowing experience, tells me to go watch a circ, has me go do the consents for tomorrows circs, drops me off at a random multi-hour conference, and then says there's no new admissions after 3pm so I should just go home. At this point I hadn't even observed a full newborn exam much less performed one. At least if someone criticizes you they are (albeit in a weird way) saying they care about your learning rather than just dismissing you.

 

[MerYangBey]

Yep, it sucks switching every week. That’s been the biggest burnout factor for me. I’ve honestly stopped trying to make any kind of impression. I’m just relatively polite and show up on time.

And I think the time after match and before residency might be the best time of our career lol. So it probably gets better

 

[redpanda]

Yes, things do get better, but in a different way than eliminating those stressors that you're specifically naming now. Throughout residency (and fellowship), you'll be constantly adjusting to the desires of your seniors/attendings/different service and that expectation that you'll adjust (e.g. "stop giving me your summary statement on the patients I've been seeing for a month in every presentation. We'll talk about a more concise, relevant summary statement later"), while annoying, will actually make you better. You will experience better teachers, and you'll probably learn about things that interest you, in addition to the day to day scut work. All the adjustments that you're mentioning are ones that you'll do routinely in residency while also adjusting to being on/managing an entirely new team or service of patients in a new hospital with a new attending.

Getting through periods of burnout often means finding the things inside and outside of medicine that keep you just on the sane side for a period of time. For example, in medicine residency for me, a couple of times, that was taking a student or intern to the bedside and spending 10 minutes teaching about a particular interviewing technique or exam finding. Last month, as a fellow, I was managing an very sick ICU service with 24/7 call with a entire team of residents and interns under me who just did not have the technical capabilities to manage patients that sick, meaning I spent several days almost entirely in the same hospital with very little sleep. It meant hauling junior trainees to the bedside to help them figure things out even though I could've gotten out a lot faster managing the affair without them and then doing the darn notes later. Like anyone without saintly capabilities, I hated everything by the end of the month and the saving grace was the sheer loveliness of the particular patient population I got to work with. Now I'm on a cushy clinical service, get a vacation week, and have spent it sleeping, lifting (gainz!), and socializing, and I finally feel human again. When I look back to my last month, I realize I grew in my leadership skills, got more comfortable in certain aspects of management, and taught my juniors some really important lessons, so now it seems much more worthwhile.

 

[alprazoslam]

I’ve felt a steady decline in my morale during third year. I don’t want to circle jerk on rounds and talk about a potassium of 3.3 for 45 minutes. I don’t want to switch attendings every goddamn week and remember what particular presentation format they want. I don’t want to be in the OR and hear a CRNA scream “don’t let her close, she doesn’t know what she’s doing!” I don’t want to learn a new EMR system for 4 weeks then move onto a new one that i’ve Never used before. I’m just SO burnt out. I only have 8 weeks left after this block and then it’s over...it feels so far away though. I know I’m having trouble looking interested in what’s happening and I’m afraid it’s going to effect my evals. I show up every day, I try to do what I’m told. I am on time. I am nice to people. But my heart is not in it right now. Tell me things will get better?

Don’t listen to crna or other nurses they just salty

 

[Coupd'Cat]

Things get better. Sometimes people who are insecure about their own notch on the totem pole take it out on anyone who is newer and lower than them. Sometimes they hate their own lives. Sometimes they are absolutely right that we (trainees) don't know what the heck we're doing.

That doesn't give people the right to act nasty, but thinking about the systems/interpersonal issues rather than focusing on whether statements were personal attacks was helpful for me. What was also helpful was visualizing putting on an astronaut suit and thinking "ya'll can't touch me" heading into days where I knew I'd be around unnecessarily noxious people.

Also, as a first year resident, gotta say that it makes a difference getting paaaaaaaaid! And when you work at a place longer (eventually), you'll find the staff/peers who've got your back & vise versa.

 

[BorntobeDO?]

I’ve felt a steady decline in my morale during third year. I don’t want to circle jerk on rounds and talk about a potassium of 3.3 for 45 minutes. I don’t want to switch attendings every goddamn week and remember what particular presentation format they want. I don’t want to be in the OR and hear a CRNA scream “don’t let her close, she doesn’t know what she’s doing!” I don’t want to learn a new EMR system for 4 weeks then move onto a new one that i’ve Never used before. I’m just SO burnt out. I only have 8 weeks left after this block and then it’s over...it feels so far away though. I know I’m having trouble looking interested in what’s happening and I’m afraid it’s going to effect my evals. I show up every day, I try to do what I’m told. I am on time. I am nice to people. But my heart is not in it right now. Tell me things will get better?

A CRNA really has no clue how much you know or don't know, while they almost certainly are overestimating their own ability. Don't let that get you down.
Things will get better with time