Is 3rd year boring?

[def1]

I know its probably way too soon to even concern myself with this but I was just wondering if 3rd year is boring. I've heard that its hard, long and grueling but is it also boring on top of that? A common complaint I've read is that 3rd years don't really have a defined role so sometimes they can just be standing around like a fly on the wall. I don't mind hard work, long hours, etc but I cannot stand just having nothing to do while working.

I have worked in jobs where there are moments with absolutely nothing to do and it drives me insane. I'm the type of person that needs constant mental stimulation or I feel like time stops and drags on forever.

So during 3rd year, do students find themselves always busy or is there a lot of dull moments where you are just watching the residents do all the work. If 3rd year is like this, is there a way to keep yourself busy all the time?

Sorry if its a dumb question, I'm just trying to get an idea of what lies ahead.

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[msk86]

Yeah, 3rd year can get boring, especially if you don't like whichever specialty you're in. However, I wouldn't say there are times when you have "nothing to do" very often. Depending on which school you go to, your shelf exam can be a pretty big chunk of your grade for that rotation, so crack open a review book and get to it!

 

[Dwindlin]

I was bored to tears in pretty much every outpatient clinic I had to be in. Otherwise I didn't find it too bad.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

I was bored to tears in pretty much every outpatient clinic I had to be in.

+1

Also I was bored out of my mind in OB triage (especially overnight), and in neurology when our residents told us to go the library right after rounds (around 10 am) and to check back in at 4 pm.

 

[yehhhboiii]

You should probably worry about first year.

 

[badasshairday]

There are definitely boring moments but a lot of pretty cool things to see especially for the first time.

You will learn a lot third year even if you feel like you are not. You learn a lot just by watching how things are done particularly because everything is new to you.

 

[ijn]

It's ****ing boring as hell. Lots of down time. Buy an iPad if you don't already own one. Post a lot of SDN. 99 shelf grades /260+ Step 1 /3rd yr all honors is a given of 'cuz

Also try to hook up with CNAs/LVNs/clerks/PAs/nursing students every chance you get. definitely kills the hours when you're textin' ho's

 

[def1]

Thanks for all the replies.

I was just curious about it. Maybe its easier to worry about 3rd year than think whats in store for me as a 1st year in a few months lol

 

[survivordo]

Any potential boredom of 3rd year will be a welcome change from the tediousness of your first two years. Every year of med school has its own ups and downs. Worry about it when you get there.

Survivor DO

 

[PTPoeny]

3rd year is very variable. Each rotation is different and a lot depends on your team. Having said that, I am similar and would rather be doing something (anything!) than standing around and I enjoyed 3rd year infinitely more than the first two years of medical school.

 

[DrSnips]

+1

Also I was bored out of my mind in OB triage (especially overnight), and in neurology when our residents told us to go the library right after rounds (around 10 am) and to check back in at 4 pm.

Haha, this. OB triage overnight was the worst in terms of boredom. I used to race wheelchairs against one of my classmates on those overnights when the hours would just drag on and on. Eventually some pregnant patient would be sent in from the regular ED for some issue unrelated to the pregnancy, like lancing a boil. Then back to the boredom.

 

[punkedoutriffs]

Are there services where you have more of an active role? Maybe good info for electives....

 

[ijn]

Are there services where you have more of an active role? Maybe good info for electives....

Email your school's fourth years or current third years. We aren't the people you should be asking. Everyone's rotations are different because it's highly institution/attending/resident/moon phase dependent.

 

[synecdoche]

If there's so much down time, on what basis will we be evaluated? I was under the impression that third year was super stressful rather than boring. I suppose the two aren't mutually exclusive, but man that would suck.

 

[Rothbard]

There's a lot of novelty, which keeps things interesting. Your first schizophrenic, first liver failure, first vaginal delivery, first code, first screaming family, first laparotomy, first trach, first pancytopenia, etc. Yes, also lots of boredom and stress as you get no sleep, come in well before the crack of dawn, run around trying to see all your patients, get grilled on rounds, and then stand around for hours doing nothing or maybe holding a retractor and getting scutted out. Whether or not the whole thing is a good experience depends on how much you enjoy the good parts.

 

[HooliganSnail]

I know its probably way too soon to even concern myself with this but I was just wondering if 3rd year is boring. I've heard that its hard, long and grueling but is it also boring on top of that? A common complaint I've read is that 3rd years don't really have a defined role so sometimes they can just be standing around like a fly on the wall. I don't mind hard work, long hours, etc but I cannot stand just having nothing to do while working.

I have worked in jobs where there are moments with absolutely nothing to do and it drives me insane. I'm the type of person that needs constant mental stimulation or I feel like time stops and drags on forever.

So during 3rd year, do students find themselves always busy or is there a lot of dull moments where you are just watching the residents do all the work. If 3rd year is like this, is there a way to keep yourself busy all the time?

Sorry if its a dumb question, I'm just trying to get an idea of what lies ahead.

Yes, yes it is

 

[VenusinFurs]

It's a mix of boring and slightly terrifying and mildly amusing and busy as hell. It's rotation and situation dependent. In some rotations I'd end up running a lot of little errands for people just to keep myself occupied. In one of my fourth year rotations this year me, the resident, and the two PA students spent each afternoon educating ourselves on the various types of hilarious youtube videos.

EDIT: For example, my first rotation, psych, was usually pretty boring because we were a consulting service and it was a lot of sitting around and waiting for the attending to show up and start rounds. But when we actually saw patients, especially alone as students, it was fascinating. Sometimes it was pretty sad, sometimes a little funny, sometimes unnerving and potentially dangerous. Even on the most boring services if you pay attention you'll pick up a lot and you'll be much smarter. I actually think rounds, in spite of how boring and terrible on your feet they are, are a good way to learn.

 

[PTPoeny]

I've hated 2 out of the 3 consult rotations I've been on. So much waiting around for consults most days and then if it gets too busy the residents/fellows have the med students shadow so they get done before 9pm (which I completely understand but is still boring). ID was different, we seemed to get some consults every single day and followed patients more closely so I thoroughly enjoyed that rotation. But the rest of the time I've been on consults it would vary between 0 and 20 consults per day and never seemed to hit the nice middle ground.

And I've found outpatient clinic to be the least boring of all my rotations because I get to see patients essentially at my own pace. If a patient is interesting or complicated I can take as long as i want and if it is something simple or boring I can do a quick H&P and turn them over to the attending.

So basically it is very variable depending on your interests and personality and your team/site/preceptor and you should talk to people at your school doing rotations currently and find out what each rotation is like.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Outpatient clinic SUCKS unless you want to do outpatient clinic. Especially family practice. On it currently and even though the residents let me see patients (as long as it's not a specialty family practice clinic) I get bored out of my mind doing well child checks and follow ups for patients with HTN and DM2.

That being said, there is definitely a lot of downtime in general in 3rd year. Some of that time will be spent looking up some fact about the patient that's currently in pre-op for surgery but the room is being turned over from the last case while the resident/attending are in their office and you're supposed to text the resident when the patient heads back. So you sit in pre-op, get yelled at by nurses for using computers that they have reserved (even though they're not using them) and deal with your boredom by looking up things (or playing words with friends) on your smart phone until anesthesia comes out and talks to the patient to take them back.

So yes, in short, there is a lot of boredom as a 3rd year. Having review books (case files fit neatly into my white coat pocket) or a smart phone is a saving grace as it gives you something to do/read during these times.