How much better does it get for the Resident...?

[OwlMyste]

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People tell me that Intern Year is your worst year as far as anything goes...so what about the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. years? How do things get better, (if they ever do), for the resident?

 

[southerndoc]

Originally posted by OwlMyste
People tell me that Intern Year is your worst year as far as anything goes...so what about the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. years? How do things get better, (if they ever do), for the resident?

Owl, concentrate on getting into college and getting into medical school first. Your questions may not even be relevant when you get into college. A significant portion of pre-meds actually do not apply to medical school because they lose interest in medicine. (Everyone of them said as a freshman that they wouldn't lose interest, too.)

Other than that, you should volunteer in a hospital and talk to residents there. You can also look at past discussions on this board since this topic has been discussed numerous times before.

As pointed out on the surgery board, your "research" methods need to be refined. A lot of what you ask you could find by doing better research.

 

[Jim Picotte]

In some specialties the hours actually get worse, just not as many H&P as well as scut work. For surgical fields, just assume you'll be working around 80 hours a week for most months of your residency with a few months that are more sane. Ophthalmology, Urology and other surgical subspecialties have an easier schedule time wise after their first year.

Being a resident is difficult and frustrating at time but it also is very educational and even fun at times. You just have to suck it up and learn what you can. I went into a nonsurgical residency because I just don't have the willpower or desire to work all those hourse but I believe that you have to do what you love.

 

[Winged Scapula]

It depends on the program...and often, its just a different kind of "hell".

For example, its true that interns often do a lot of tasks which are defined as "scut". However, your Chiefs have the added responsibility of answering to the attendings (I know there have been times when I've screwed up, the Chiefs heard about it from the attendings, but didn't bother to worry me about it [unless it was something I really needed to know about]), have more operating time (for surgical residents) but more chances for complications, etc.

I'd say our 4th year can be pretty painful here - lots of hours and the 4th years cover the ER (not the interns), run the Traumas etc...so your pager can go off incessantly.

So...depends, although most would say it does get better with time (consider that a lot of the pain involves not knowing how to do something, how to get something done, etc.)

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

It really depends on the specialty and the program. Most internal medicine programs (I am a preliminary medicine intern), the upper levels have a lot better schedule than interns. The bulk of the 90-100 hour work weeks that laws are trying to prevent are in the 1st year. One of the unfortunate effects of the mandatory 80 hour work week, at least at my program, is that much of the hours will be shifted to the 2nd and 3rd year residents. Instead of 60-70 hour weeks as a 3rd year, you will be working 80hrs to make up for the interns who must leave the hospital. Many residents are dissatisfied with this approach.

As for radiology (what I will be starting next year), the hours are pretty good throughout you do less call as you progress through the program, with the 5th year residents taking the least call.

 

[OwlMyste]

Originally posted by Whisker Barrel Cortex
It really depends on the specialty and the program. Most internal medicine programs (I am a preliminary medicine intern), the upper levels have a lot better schedule than interns. The bulk of the 90-100 hour work weeks that laws are trying to prevent are in the 1st year. One of the unfortunate effects of the mandatory 80 hour work week, at least at my program, is that much of the hours will be shifted to the 2nd and 3rd year residents. Instead of 60-70 hour weeks as a 3rd year, you will be working 80hrs to make up for the interns who must leave the hospital. Many residents are dissatisfied with this approach.

As for radiology (what I will be starting next year), the hours are pretty good throughout you do less call as you progress through the program, with the 5th year residents taking the least call.

Radiology has got to be really interesting...it was what I wanted to be at one time...long before I discovered this forum...I know it hasta do with Imaging...as I have had MRI's and CT scans done...but what else do Radiologists do? Also, with the constant Radiation exposure that you get in Radiology, how does it affect the Radiologist Health in the long-run?

 

[OwlMyste]

Originally posted by Geek Medic
Owl, concentrate on getting into college and getting into medical school first. Your questions may not even be relevant when you get into college. A significant portion of pre-meds actually do not apply to medical school because they lose interest in medicine. (Everyone of them said as a freshman that they wouldn't lose interest, too.)

Other than that, you should volunteer in a hospital and talk to residents there. You can also look at past discussions on this board since this topic has been discussed numerous times before.

As pointed out on the surgery board, your "research" methods need to be refined. A lot of what you ask you could find by doing better research.

Oh I fully intend to do that...[enjoy life, research, shadow docs, etc...] its just the reason for posting the Q in the first place was the stuff I hear from watching Discovery Health...of how residents say their first year is hell, etc...

 

[beezar]

In many specialties, attendings work even harder than residents.

This is because of all the extra paperwork they need to fill out (eg: billing, etc.) And if an attending has a poor resident working for them, the attending's day extends much longer as he/she has to clean up the mess.

So, depending upon the specialty and your type of practice, you might need to work harder as an attending...

 

[Voxel]

life as an attending is always harder if there is no resident/intern doing your scut. 😉

 

[southerndoc]

Originally posted by Voxel
life as an attending is always harder if there is no resident/intern doing your scut. 😉

That statement warrants repeating.

The same can be true of a resident. Life as a resident is always harder if there is no medical student doing his/her scut.

 

[Jim Picotte]

I don't want to count the number of hours I wasted on the phone trying to get medical records from other hospitals faxed over. My god this was certainly one of the activities I will not miss next year. How many times I called to lab to check on the result and told nearly a hundred times that when the result was done there's about a 2 minute delay before it shows up on the computers. I think the most used line during my intern year was, "Sorry to bother you Dr. attending at 3 a.m. but my senior really wants to know if you'd like the IV running at 75 cc and hour or 100cc an hour. Yes I know it doesn't make a damn difference but my senior is making me call you." Ok I'll quit venting now.

 

[OwlMyste]

Originally posted by Jim Picotte
I think the most used line during my intern year was, "Sorry to bother you Dr. attending at 3 a.m. but my senior really wants to know if you'd like the IV running at 75 cc and hour or 100cc an hour. Yes I know it doesn't make a damn difference but my senior is making me call you." Ok I'll quit venting now.

I can only imagine how that musta felt...

LOVE the sarcasm there...😉 🙂 😛