Hate Office Politics.....

[Miss Education]

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I'm in transitional year. While I enjoy helping patients, I'm also finding myself sincerely wishing I could just pack up my bags and work from home. I need a peaceful and calm working environment- that is when I'm most happy and productive. I literally hate going to work. The draining nature of the intern year coupled with the "office politics" in hospital medicine is really taking its toll on me. I'm honestly embarrassed at how a lot of physician and healthcare staff behave- rude, immature, unprofessional, inhumane..... I witness and am sometimes dragged into gossip, conflict and drama. I hate it. It feels like I'm dealing with high school students.
Does anyone feel the same? How do you counteract this?

 

[keeping-it-real]

that's how some people cope with the stress. sounds like maybe you're overly judgmental or overly sensitive about this. are they making fun of you?

and a peaceful and calm working environment? maybe in radiology or pathology... but not clinical medicine. there's a reason why those two field have a certain appeal.

 

[elwademd]

It feels like I'm dealing with high school students.
Does anyone feel the same? How do you counteract this?

from what i've seen so far, everything after high school is kinda like high school.

 

[Long Dong]

from what i've seen so far, everything after high school is kinda like high school.

Word👍

 

[dragonfly99]

Misseducation
I actually agree with you.
It seemed there was a ton of that in my IM residency.
I think you might want to bail and go for something like path or radiology if this bothers you...though it seems in every workplace there are people like this. The only advice I can give is to try not to get sucked in to it.
Do NOT let people, such as nurses or other hospital staff, push your buttons. If they are rude let them be rude, but never say anything rude back. Remember, you are only here for 1 year and you don't want to risk making any waves. You don't want any negative comment about you of any kind to get back to your program director or another powerful attending. Also, try and stay above the gossip and petty arguments...I feel like people just start them because they have nothing better to do, and perhaps because house staff spend too much time at their jobs. Just be nonspecifically pleasant to everyone, make friends with the people who you would be friends with in normal life/"the free world" and consider everyone else as a coworker worth y of respect but don't feel obligated to be their best friend.

I'll probably get flamed for this, but I wonder whether specialties with more "smart" people in them, such as radiology, might have less gossip, etc. I do thin pathology is an underrated specialty, because I have met an awful lot of happy pathologists and they do seem to have a "peaceful environment", good research opportunities if that is your bent/inclination, I think they make pretty good money, and seem to have good hours. Radiology = intellectually satisfying, interesting and they also make good money, but there is still quite a bit of call when you are in residency in that specialty.

 

[buckley]

Oh my lord! I love this thread! And here I thought there must be something wrong with me because people seemed so rude to me. I was thinking, "maybe it's because im that weird foreigner..." And yes it does feel ike an episode of some bad highschool movie. I really HATE how mean some of my coworkers are. Sometimes even if they are the ones at fault, they are the ones who get mad. I don't understand how someone can be that waay.

In fairenss though, I do have great coworkers who I feel could be my friends. I'm just surprised that people here don't really ask for mobile phone numbers. Is it so taboo to ask for them? I mean, yes, there's the pager, but dont you want to be connected?

And another thing--is it just me or is residency so much about "putting up a show"? I swear...somtimes it's all a facade. Like when my senior and I are talking, he tells me he has no idea what is going on. And ten minutes later, he suddenly ties everything up together for the attending. I really admire that, but I'm like...aw gee, thanks for not sharing.

Another question--as the resident in charge of the patient--do you really have to do what the attending tells you to do? For example the attending orders you to discharge a patient you feel is not ready for discharge, do you have to? Do you have the "power" to decide that, or do you just get sneaky and delay the discharge process as much as you can?

 

[Winged Scapula]

In fairenss though, I do have great coworkers who I feel could be my friends. I'm just surprised that people here don't really ask for mobile phone numbers. Is it so taboo to ask for them? I mean, yes, there's the pager, but dont you want to be connected?

In some ways, Americans are less outgoing about those kind of things, especially male to female. You could always give out your mobile and see if they respond in kind.

And another thing--is it just me or is residency so much about "putting up a show"? I swear...somtimes it's all a facade. Like when my senior and I are talking, he tells me he has no idea what is going on. And ten minutes later, he suddenly ties everything up together for the attending. I really admire that, but I'm like...aw gee, thanks for not sharing.

Yes, it is but not in the way you've described. The way I see it, your resident really isn't sure what's going on but has to come up with some sort of differential for the attending - you can't really say "I have no idea" to the attending. Maybe he's right, maybe he's thought about it since you and he talked or maybe he's just bluffing (which is what I'm guessing) in front of the attending.

Another question--as the resident in charge of the patient--do you really have to do what the attending tells you to do? For example the attending orders you to discharge a patient you feel is not ready for discharge, do you have to? Do you have the "power" to decide that, or do you just get sneaky and delay the discharge process as much as you can?

It can be dangerous in some situations to go against what the attending wants. However, residents have been known to delay discharge or certain treatments because they disagreed. So yes, you generally have to be sneaky unless you have a good relationship and rep with the attending and can get your feelings and point across. That said, if they disagree with you, it becomes harder to be sneaky and try and delay the discharge ("those darn social workers didn't finish the placement paperwork today, I guess he'll have to stay another day. Really sorry about that sir.") when they know what you think about it.

In the beginning, you will not know how to play the game. As you mature, you will learn when and with whom you can play.

 

[buckley]

hahaha...somebody teach me the rules! 🙂 thanks for the advice!