Interns friending residents of Facebook

[MSII UPike]

Is it normal for interns to friend residents on facebook, especially in less than two months after starting rotations?

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[TraumaLlamaMD]

Interns? Yes. These are people you'll be working with for 3-5 years, seems normal to me.

Med students? May be more awkward depending on the student and the resident.

 

[Raryn]

Interns and residents are peers. Some are more advanced than others and act in a supervisory capacity while at work, but they're peers all the same. This is perfectly normal.

Residents friending attendings on facebook is a different story. Im friends with a few of the younger ones (particularly if I knew them when they were residents) but it can be +/- depending on your relationship.

 

[PlutoBoy]

Interns and residents are peers. Some are more advanced than others and act in a supervisory capacity while at work, but they're peers all the same. This is perfectly normal.

Residents friending attendings on facebook is a different story. Im friends with a few of the younger ones (particularly if I knew them when they were residents) but it can be +/- depending on your relationship.

What about patients friending their doctors? I get so annoyed when I get those requests.

 

[AdmiralChz]

What about patients friending their doctors? I get so annoyed when I get those requests.

One of the surgeons I work with is constantly getting posts on his wall from appreciative patients and family (not surprising given his specialty), a cynic would wonder if he has a narcissistic personality disorder but honestly I think he's just trying to be friendly.

 

[Raryn]

What about patients friending their doctors? I get so annoyed when I get those requests.

Don't do it. Period. It can only lead to bad things.

(Might be hard to avoid if your friend later becomes your patient or if you live in a really small town, but otherwise, avoid avoid avoid)

 

[PlutoBoy]

One of the surgeons I work with is constantly getting posts on his wall from appreciative patients and family (not surprising given his specialty), a cynic would wonder if he has a narcissistic personality disorder but honestly I think he's just trying to be friendly.

I understand. I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with it. My concern is having patients see a picture of me at a party or something because this is not the most professional image there is. I try to keep my FB very private. Same things for co-workers with whom I don't have a sincere personal relationship. I have to accept their request out of professional courtesy but they go into a group that cannot see my posts and they can't post on my wall. All they see is my profile picture really.

I don't know. Maybe I am a little too particular about this.

 

[Winged Scapula]

What about patients friending their doctors? I get so annoyed when I get those requests.

I get those frequently as well.

Rather than be annoyed, I tell them I appreciate the request but that I like to keep Facebook for just my friends and I that I make some joke about not wanting them to see me with my 80s big hair, I refer them to our practice Facebook page which they can like. Everyone I've told that to has been quite gracious about it.

As far as interns and residents, as noted above, theyre colleagues and it's perfectly normal to be Facebook friends. I did not friend any of my attendings until after graduation from residency. Otherwise it felt a bit too personal.

 

[PlutoBoy]

I get those frequently as well.

Rather than be annoyed, I tell them I appreciate the request but that I like to keep Facebook for just my friends and I that I make some joke about not wanting them to see me with my 80s big hair, I refer them to our practice Facebook page which they can like. Everyone I've told that to has been quite gracious about it.

As far as interns and residents, as noted above, theyre colleagues and it's perfectly normal to be Facebook friends. I did not friend any of my attendings until after graduation from residency. Otherwise it felt a bit too personal.

I could have picked a better term than annoyed. I guess that the request is flattering and I just didn't know how to react to it. But after seeing how you handle it I think I know what to do!

 

[Hakuna Matata]

Is it normal for interns to friend residents on facebook, especially in less than two months after starting rotations?

All the residents at my program friended me the day after Match Day. Totally normal but maybe it depends on the field?


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[MSII UPike]

All the residents at my program friended me the day after Match Day. Totally normal but maybe it depends on the field?

All the residents at my program friended me the day after Match Day. Totally normal but maybe it depends on the field?


Sent from my iPhone using

Hello,
You mean they friended you after residency match, correct? I am wondering about rotating interns (MS3s) friending residents. Thanks.

 

[mvenus929]

What about patients friending their doctors? I get so annoyed when I get those requests.

Our hospital has a policy against friending patients. As in, we could get reported to professional staff for it. The exception is if you are friends with a patient before they become your patient.

 

[MSII UPike]

Yeah I friended a lot of our new interns post-match and before they actually started over the years

Do interns (MS3) get to meet residents before they actually start the rotations?

 

[Psai]

I get those frequently as well.

Rather than be annoyed, I tell them I appreciate the request but that I like to keep Facebook for just my friends and I that I make some joke about not wanting them to see me with my 80s big hair, I refer them to our practice Facebook page which they can like. Everyone I've told that to has been quite gracious about it.

As far as interns and residents, as noted above, theyre colleagues and it's perfectly normal to be Facebook friends. I did not friend any of my attendings until after graduation from residency. Otherwise it felt a bit too personal.

gonna need pics

 

[gutonc]

Do interns (MS3) get to meet residents before they actually start the rotations?

Interns and MS3s are two different groups of people.

 

[MSII UPike]

Interns and MS3s are two different groups of people.

Sorry. Let me rephrase it. Do 3rd year Clinical, rotation students and residents get to meet eachother before 3rd yr clinical rotation students actually start their rotations, like after they are assigned rotations but before July 1st?
Thanks.

 

[TraumaLlamaMD]

Sorry. Let me rephrase it. Do 3rd year Clinical, rotation students and residents get to meet eachother before 3rd yr clinical rotation students actually start their rotations, like after they are assigned rotations but before July 1st?
Thanks.

At my school, MSIIs would have occasional clinical experiences like shadowing where we might interact with residents. I've never heard of a school with a formal "meet the residents" type of gathering.

 

[Psai]

I don't think you understand how med student rotations or resident rotations work.

First, again to reinforce - a 3rd year medical student is not an intern. An intern is a first year resident who has already completed medical school and gone through the match.

Second, just as medical students have varying rotation schedules, residents have rotations too. In many cases resident rotations and student rotations are on different schedules (e.g., residents rotate on a monthly schedule, students rotate on a weekly schedule).

The net result of this is that the longest any resident works with any student is usually in the neighborhood of about 4 weeks, and often it is less than that (I've literally worked with students for 1 day only).

Finally as to the question of when you meet or get to know your residents? The day you start your rotation or sometimes the day before. I never even find out what students are rotating with me until a few days or a week in advance.

I don't blame him for being confused. Just the other day there was a pa student on reddit mouthing off about how they are basically on the same level as the interns. Seems like they're growing up real quick.

 

[evilbooyaa]

It's not unheard of for residents on a service and MS3s from that same service friending each other on facebook. It's probably not that common, but it's not unheard of if the resident and student were friendly. As an intern (PGY-1), we occasionally brought the non-annoying medical students out to happy hour with us.

 

[KnuxNole]

I don't see anything wrong with it. Like others mentioned, you guys are colleagues and can potentially develop friendships after rotating with people together. Same with med students and residents/attendings. I'm a "young" attending, and I have been added by med students who rotated with me and friends with the residents.

What about patients friending their doctors? I get so annoyed when I get those requests.

I do feel awkward about these. I eventually reject them, but mention that I like to keep Facebook personal and feel as if it will disrupt our physician-patient professional relationship.

 

[kchan99]

Finally as to the question of when you meet or get to know your residents? The day you start your rotation or sometimes the day before. I never even find out what students are rotating with me until a few days or a week in advance.

We didn't meet students before their rotation. I had notification about a week or so before so I would send a "Welcome to ____ team/rotation" e-mail. No social activities until at the end if we have a team lunch or dinner.