I am a fourth year medical student on my first sub internship for internal medicine. I got three more auditions coming up, but already I am thinking that I should just cancel those and do regular rotations in whatever I like. I am awful at presentations...I can never read fast enough to get the whole history, can never remember every single detail, or give a good enough and concise enough presentations. I don't even really like rounding...I was actually thinking giving up on this and just try to go for anesthesiology because I heard I won't have to present as much, and do more procedures. Anyone heard anything different about anesthesiology? do you need to do subinternship for anesthesiology if your usmle step is around 230-240?
I suck at presentations
- Thread starter NaNaSauce
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Hang in there bud. We all have our rough days, and patients sometimes can be very complicated, especially as an M4 in your first sub-I. Also, look up to your residents, they should ideally be helping you with the patient and help you develop the A&P before you present to the attending. I'm currently at an audition where I am mostly left to my own devices, and it can be pretty tough. Today for example, I totally fumbled, but I'm trying to stay positive and take it day by day. Don't give up on IM altogether just yet.
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AnatomyGrey12
Why are you applying to IM?
I thought I didn't like it during my inpatient rotation because of just that hospital setting, but turned out I just don't really like standing around and walking around. from patient to patient.
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AnatomyGrey12
You need to have a sit down with yourself and decide if you really want to do IM the rest of your life, or if you need to switch to something else. But you need to do it rapidly, you need time to get letters
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You're going to round in a lot of different specialties. Its honestly just part of the educational process (except in maybe EM, but even then you'll have rotations in the ICU, etc. where you'll round). You need to pinpoint exactly what you don't like about rounding and you need to figure out exactly what it is that you do like. Don't just jump on anesthesiology because you heard it would be good, actually try it out and decide.
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It gets better. Trust me. Don’t bail on something you like just because of one tiny aspect of the job you’re currently struggling with.
Rounding as a student is hard to do well, it’s supposed to be hard. Everyone knows this. You don’t have the training or experience to be able to round efficiently or effectively. Much of what you’re presenting you have no prior experience with. So work on improving but don’t be too down on yourself.
My suggestion: ask your residents if you can pre-round, and even pre-present with them. They should be willing to help you with your presentations; help you understand where you’re giving extraneous info, and where you’re leaving things out. Accept their (constructive) criticism, and improve.
But know that it comes much easier as you gain experience.
Rounding as a student is hard to do well, it’s supposed to be hard. Everyone knows this. You don’t have the training or experience to be able to round efficiently or effectively. Much of what you’re presenting you have no prior experience with. So work on improving but don’t be too down on yourself.
My suggestion: ask your residents if you can pre-round, and even pre-present with them. They should be willing to help you with your presentations; help you understand where you’re giving extraneous info, and where you’re leaving things out. Accept their (constructive) criticism, and improve.
But know that it comes much easier as you gain experience.
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You will get better with time and experience. You are so new to this game.
I have a buddy who wants to go into anesthesia - he says "230 step and fast track to $500K by doing pain management specialty".
Dunno if he's spot on or just optomistic.
I have a buddy who wants to go into anesthesia - he says "230 step and fast track to $500K by doing pain management specialty".
Dunno if he's spot on or just optomistic.
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Practice makes perfect
Focus on talking to your friends during your presenting.
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Rounding is tough and i prefer table rounds instead of going patient to patient.
But peds? Family centered rounds were nauseating. They absolutely take forever.
I want to do primary care FM or peds though, I’ll have to suck up rounds for like 3 years and be done with it
But peds? Family centered rounds were nauseating. They absolutely take forever.
I want to do primary care FM or peds though, I’ll have to suck up rounds for like 3 years and be done with it
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Seriously though, why IM? Concise presentations are a skill that can be mastered by anyone with enough practice, but it's gonna suck if there's nothing else in the field you're passionate about. Is there anything you do like about IM? What drew you into it in the first place? If you were going to write a personal statement about why you're pursuing IM what would you write?
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Clear concise presentations come from depth of understanding. As you learn more medicine and gain more experience, you’ll learn what’s important and what is not. Your presentations will naturally become better organized. That said, anesthesia after training=no rounding and very brief handoffs to nurses and icu docs.
