Hi y'all, I'm a 4th yr student going into EM. I have a MICU rotation scheduled in February b/c it is generally recommended to prepare for EM residency. I don't have ICU experience from 3rd yr, and was afraid that if I don't do this now I will suffer soul-killing embarrassment during my intern yr. But since then I have been hearing from a few ppl that it doesn't make much difference, because you will be just as clueless as an intern in ICU even if you take it as a 4th yr, and it's better to just relax now b/c you'll learn it all later anyways. I was wondering what EM docs who's been though either paths thought on this? Is it something important enough to do in February when I may be suffering from a serious case of post-interviews 4th yearitis?? I'd really appreciate ur thoughts, thanks.
ICU vs relaxation 4th yr before EM residency?
- Thread starter EMP2B
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Here is everything you need to know for ICU as an intern...
Vent settings: Total Volume Control, FiO2 40%, Tidal Volume 450, Rate 12
Weaning from vent: Pressure support 5/10 three times a day then trach collar when tolerating
Fever? Pan culture, Vanc and Zosyn
GI/DVT prophylaxis: Lovenox 40 mg SQ qD and Protonix 40 mg IV qD
Vent settings: Total Volume Control, FiO2 40%, Tidal Volume 450, Rate 12
Weaning from vent: Pressure support 5/10 three times a day then trach collar when tolerating
Fever? Pan culture, Vanc and Zosyn
GI/DVT prophylaxis: Lovenox 40 mg SQ qD and Protonix 40 mg IV qD
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I don't know. I took ICU months in 3rd year and 4th year. I thought they were pretty helpful. I had a few lines, tons of arterial lines, and a little more experience managing critical patients (I didn't get any intubations as a med student.) The thing ICU medicine really stresses is physiology and how the body works (and doesn't work) in critical illness.
That being said, you'll have plenty of that stuff during residency (or at least you should), and so in the end it probably won't make that much of a difference. It helped that it worked as one of my 4th year requirements (inpt medicine... I would totally take it over wards if you have the choice.) With the caveat that I like critical care medicine, I would say I benefited from the rotation and would probably do the same thing again.
That being said, you'll have plenty of that stuff during residency (or at least you should), and so in the end it probably won't make that much of a difference. It helped that it worked as one of my 4th year requirements (inpt medicine... I would totally take it over wards if you have the choice.) With the caveat that I like critical care medicine, I would say I benefited from the rotation and would probably do the same thing again.
