Help! Freaking out...

[Lippincott]

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I'll be starting internship in one week... and I'm having panic attacks about it. I mean, my last rotation worth anything was my sub-I which I did in July... I havent written a note since then, and I've never had to manage an ICU patient (and my program has an open ICU). Even the interns who I worked with that month seemed more on top of things than I think I will be when I start, and they had only been on the job one week when I started my sub-I. I know everyone says they feel woefully unprepared, but I feel like I know NOTHING, and will have to spend that first month at the very least having the right resources in my pockets. Will Pocket Medicine have the answers I seek?? Do I need Tarascon's Critical Care handbook?? A med student in his first couple weeks into third year would know how to manage a patient better than I feel like I could at this point. 🙁

 

[Medalion]

Yeah that is right, you better panic, because you are going to get toasted, no grilled, no fried.
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I am kidding. Relax. In a month you will be laughing at this post, seriously. Just get one bood ( anything titled internship survival guide) - then make friends with uptodate.com. YOur institution should have it. Go in early, be efficient, ask a lot of questions from you senior resident (don't be shy about this in the first months). If you have time, learn your institution's computer system (EMR).......You will be fine.

MED

 

[ussdfiant]

You're not coming to Hahnemann are you?😉

 

[JayneCobb]

1. GOMERS Don't Die.
2. GOMERS Go To Ground
3.At a cardiac arrest, the first procedure is to take your own pulse
4. The patient is the one with the disease
5. Placement comes first
6. There is no body cavity that cannot be reached with a #14 needle and a good strong arm
7. AGE + BUN = Lasix dose.
8. They can always hurt you more
9. The only good admission is a dead admission
10. If you don't take a temperature, you can't find a fever
11. Show me a medical student who only triples my work and I will kiss his feet.
12. If the radiology resident and the medical student both see a lesion on the Chest x-ray, there can be no lesion there
13. The delivery of medical care is to do as much nothing as possible.

​

Eh, after the first night of call you'll get over most of your anxiety. Rarely is it as bad as what you're imagining.

 

[grendelsdragon]

Ah yes... the Fat Man's Laws in the House of God. And I thought I was the old timer here! 😀

These are kinder and gentler times indeed.

And to the original poster... don't worry too much about your first ICU rotation. The nursing in ICUs tend to be superior than at the other wards, and this helps you immeasurably. If you need assistance or answer to a question, someone is always immediately available to help. I personally think that you need to be more puckered in the stepdown areas where patients can be borderline ICU worthy and most anything can happen between Q6h vitals (and where the heck is the crash cart??!!?!). So chin up! Spend this week having fun!

 

[elwademd]

most interns are probably having the same fears. you'll get through it. i'd echo the same sentiments in the posters above.

 

[Freakingout]

I'm here! What Can I do for you?

 

[manta]

i'm on day 4. my only advice from my experience so far is to try to get a good night sleep the night before. i was up late tying up loose ends at home, and was so miserable the next day. don't do it. go to bed. the ends will still be there on your first day off.

i would also have to say that you know more than you think you do, even though you don't believe me. pocket medicine has been helpful, but a drug book or epocrates is key (what's the dose for tylenol, for the fifth time today? 🙂)

good luck!

 

[c5a]

i had an acute stress disorder my first week of residency. the attending was pretty harsh, and i was still trying to learn the computer system. when presenting a case, it doesn't look good to say that the doppler US came back negative when it was actually ordered 2 months ago. our introduction into the computer portal system was shortchanged b/c the server was down, so learning the portal is a challenge in and of itself. i was screwing up left and right, and i kinda broke down. needless to say they put me in clinic to gather myself up again, and after a night of nightfloat, i'm having fun again. it's scary to start this whole doctor thing. being responsible for someone's life... scary, but we'll get used to it.