medical students with less then good health and 24-48 hour shifts

[Ryo-Ohki]

How do medical students who aren't in the best of health (sickly types or those with some sort of fatigue problems) cope with the shifts imposed on them?

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[Fanconi]

We bitch and moan about how bad sleep deprivation sucks and how much we hate medical education on discussion forums. It's very therapeutic. Really.

That, and all you can do is take care of your brain and your body to the best of your ability to minimize the adverse effects of such little sleepy time.

 

[med student]

Sleep is for the weak. That is what I like to think during the week but when friday comes I sleep for most of the afternoon. When my third year arrives I need to figure out how to convice the hospital to let me have my beauty sleep in the afternoon.

 

[Guitarzan the Jungle Man]

It can be very difficult. A friend of mine has type 1 diabetes and he had to go on the insulin pump in order to work in the hospital. I think he paid 500 plus dollars out of pocket because our student insurance sucks.
Basically follow the rules of surgical internship...
1) Sleep when you can
2) Eat when you can
3) don't sit when you can lay down
4) Don't stand when you can sit
5) and never, ever fu%k with the pancreas.
Also remember, you can go without sleep and you can go without food, but you cannot go without sleep and food.

 

[ermonty]

As a pre-med student I understand that medical school is a trying process. It is my understanding that certain residencies and fellowships suck by volume of hours worked . . So if one so desired he or she could choose a more humane speciality. However, my question is are 3rd and 4th year rotations so bad (in terms of hours) as to compare with a surgical internship or other grueling GME? I just ask because I've talked to students who say they have had no problem finding time to exercise, eat healthy and sleep during medschool.

 

[med student]

Your are busy in medschool but it is not as bad as the internship year. Now during the third year you do the same rotations as everybody else and some completely suck (surgery, OB-GYN) but others are not so bad (psych). There is always time to do some of the fun things you want to do just not all of them so you just have to decide what is important to you and then don't mess around and waste time when you should be studying. If you do this it will allow you to do the things you want to. For me personally I just got back from exercising for an hour which I do about 5 days a week so there is time to do these things.

 

[carddr]

When if comes residency time, be clear in your interviewing in sizing up the program.... only you know your true limitations, factor them in and don't select a program with a malignant reputation... if you know the effect this would have on your health, etc... I know I don't require a heck of a lot of sleep and love to stay up at night(still don't know how I'm going to react to those 5:30am mornings!!) but I chose surgery and have matched in a program which fits my life style,, (I hope),,, on the other hand doesn't hurt to challenge yourself, you may be surprised, if you liked what you are doing, time flies and sleep may seem like a waste of time.
Now catching all those colds from everyone is another matter... stay away from people that sneeze a lot. Watch all those virus, bacteria coming your way. Hide in the Lounge!!!

 

[saori]

Besides some of the great advice that some have posted here, I want to add that keeping a list of those patients who might slip into critical during an evening shift is helpful. Monitoring these patients on a tight schedule might help you get some ZZZs during the evenings. Most of our rotations are worked-out in teams, so my partner and I do vitals and split-up during night shifts. We have 24 hour shifts every 5 days (I know this seems piece of cake to many, but we still don't compensate sleep all that well) and once we switch to surgical rotations, we'll be on 24 hours every 4 days.

Try to find a program that adjusts to your lifestyle. I chose high-standards teaching hospitals in the city, all of which have classes in addition to rounds, consults, and such. Some would much rather take "the easy way out" and go to less demanding hospitals with lighter shifts but not as many procedures and training...

To each his own...

 

[MUN2005]

•••quote:•••1) Sleep when you can
2) Eat when you can
3) don't sit when you can lay down
4) Don't stand when you can sit
5) and never, ever fu%k with the pancreas

••••LOL <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />