Honoring 3rd year clerkships...

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InternationlDoc

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Note: This is probably a repetitive thread, but I couldn't find a comprehensive thread upon searching. If moderators find it repeating then close it, but do guide me to appropriate thread please.


To all the students who honored most/all the rotations during 3rd year - what were your goals/strategies. Forget the shelf exams, I'm talking about on the wards attitude. What sort of skills should I develop? what sort of note taking ability? what sort of presentation plan to attending. What does it take for people to notice that you are not a total idiot and are actually useful as part of a team.
I am on psych rotation and the residents and attending are teaching us students really well, however, other than me catching a cocaine addict this past week, I haven't really DONE anything. I mean HPI, MSE etc are all fine, but all the students do that; nobody seems impressed. I mean really, a monkey can go down the list an conduct an interview but what else?

Essentially, I am not feeling that I am putting in enough work like I did to honor classes 2nd year on top of doing research - this past week looks like vacation and I dont like it. Should I follow the "come in early, and leave last" motto? It has only been one week on psych but its only a 6 week rotation so everyday counts. I am no gunner, but I want to learn the most and perform to the utmost of my ability

Thank you sdn posters

P.S. Should I start looking for attendings in particular fields I am interested in to do research with now? I think its a good time to do so.

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Work hard, be on top of things (labs, current meds, tests, etc) for your patients, ALWAYS be enthusiastic, and humor can be good depending on your team. Also, check on your patients throughout the day, even a casual "Hi, how're ya doin'?" can reveal something you didn't know before. Read about your patients, study in general. Rock the shelf/other exam.

I've known people where the shelf is what brought them from an Honors to a High Pass, and shelf exams, esp. Psych, can be more difficult than one anticipates.

As for when to come/go, I usually came in early, just to make sure I had everything I needed to do done (allowing more time at the beginning of the year for fewer patients than I needed at the end of the year). But I only came in as early as I needed to get my work done. I don't like sitting around wasting time, especially in the morning when I could've slept an extra 15min. Leave when you're told to leave, however, I usually checked to make sure there was nothing else I with which could help out. Usually I was told, "No, just leave." Once or twice (on rotations I really liked anyway), the resident said they could actually use some help if I didn't mind staying a little longer.
 
don't worry, most people honor psych clinically unless they really, really suck. The real differentiating factor is the shelf exam.
 
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Thanks for the replies Ashers and keberson -- other thoughts guys for other core clerkships like medicine and surgery?

really appreciate all the replies regarding this guys.
 
0 honors 3rd year. I probably shouldn't post here.
 
I honored all my third year clerkships and the thing that separated me was that I did well on all my shelf exams eventhough most of my clerkships said the shelf exams didnt count for much. The thing is, most medical students are going to be the same on the wards so separating yourself with a 90+ shelf score will definitely do it. In general, don't be lazy, don't be annoying, do your work, know your crap (especially when you have meetings with attendings) and shut up and speak when spoken to. sucking up gets you no where.
 
I honored all my third year clerkships and the thing that separated me was that I did well on all my shelf exams eventhough most of my clerkships said the shelf exams didnt count for much. The thing is, most medical students are going to be the same on the wards so separating yourself with a 90+ shelf score will definitely do it. In general, don't be lazy, don't be annoying, do your work, know your crap (especially when you have meetings with attendings) and shut up and speak when spoken to. sucking up gets you no where.

Sound advice but my school keeps the shelfs and the clinical grades separate.

To make matters worse, our shelfs count for a miniscule % in comparison to the clinical grade.

Pucker up me hearties.
 
Our shelves matter a lot in terms of honors. To get honors, you need to score above the cut-off on the shelf (80th or 85th percentile, depending on the rotation), get all "outstandings" on a grading rubric that the residents/faculty fill out, and be specifically nominated for honors by an attending.
 
In general, don't be lazy, don't be annoying, do your work, know your crap (especially when you have meetings with attendings) and shut up and speak when spoken to. sucking up gets you no where.
This is good advice. Also have some self-confidence (can be hard as an MS3) and just do stuff when you're asked. Residents get really annoyed when you say "I'm not really sure how to do that" or "I've never done that before". Just get your work done quickly and then ask for more work, and be funny if you can.
 
DON'T BE A TOOL.

BE A TEAM PLAYER WITH YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS AND TEAMS.
The residents and attendings are not stupid. They will see you working with the residents and fellow students. Sucking up to the attending and treating your teammates like crap does get back. Attendings and residents talk to one another even across department and your reputation rightly or wrongly will be with you a long time. If you plan to come in at a certain time, coordinate it with your teammate. Don't try to make them look lazy or uninterested regardless of how much you want to honor.

DO NOT TRY TO SHOW ANYONE UP. If someone does not know their stuff, the attendings will know. You should want to do research on your patients and can bring in articles on their conditions. I recommend highlighting the interesting portions for your team and dropping it in their box with a note that you thought they might find it interesting. This way, it demonstrates your commitment to EBM without taking up a lot of time during rounds when everyone might just want to get through. Your attending or chief might have you present to the group if time permits at a later point.

Having a positive attitude and strong work ethic will take you far.

ASK FOR FEEDBACK EARLY AND OFTEN. However, I found it very useful to ask for directed feedback (i.e., if your school has a final evaluation form- use that when asking for midterm feedback). If you ask how you are doing, you will most likely be told "fine" because it is easier

DON'T BE LATE. It goes without saying that you should show up on time

BE NICE TO EVERYONE REGARDLESS OF STATUS, LEVEL OF TRAINING ETC. The nurses, EKG techs, fellow students can be your best friends or worst enemies. Treat everyone professionally and with respect.

BE GENUINELY INTERESTED IN YOUR PATIENTS. We can all tell when someone does not care. Even if it is an admit at 3am, this may be the worst day of someone's life. Try to be human and remember that this is someone's mother, sister, brother, cousin, grandparent, husband, wife, child. What if this was your loved one? Patients will rave about students to other team members and most attendings do take that into consideration with evaluations.

READ, READ. Always Expand your knowledgebase.

DO USMLEWORLD QUESTIONS TO PREPARE FOR SHELF EXAMS.
 
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