missing days on rotations??

[southbelle]

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When a third year doesn't show up for a few consective days on their IM rotation, what happens? Does the resident notify an attending usually? Someone at the school in charge of clinical education? Would they ever get called in?

 

[BassDominator]

I imagine that people would start asking your classmates where you were, then call the school if nobody knows.

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

Moving to clinical rotations. 🙂

 

[DOtobe]

I would think they would call the school if you missed a few days in a row (unless your school had previous knowledge that you were missing, of course). LECOM has been known to call rotation sites randomly and ask if we are there I haven't missed any days yet on rotations, so I don't know what happens. People don't usually miss days on rotations (not like lecture).

 

[DOtobe]

BTW, KyGrl - thanks for the karma...I returned the favor to you 🙂

 

[Vincristine]

It LARGELY depends on the school, of course. Depends on how structured the program is, how much the residents give a damn, how structured the chain of command is, etc. I know people who didn't show up for days on peds, but we have no peds residents, a different hospitalist every week, and a schedule that changes every week -- no one really ever knew where we were supposed to be, and people took advantage of that.

 

[Anasazi23]

If you miss more than 3 consecutive days on your clinical rotation without your school's knowledge, the ever-nefarious "clinical rotation absence gnome" will come to wherever you are that night, and do a number of things to you to remind you of the eternal joy that is clinical rotations. These acts include but are not limited to - pouring itching powder in your bed, dunking your stethescope in the toilet, taking the notes that the resident had to write on their patient for you (since you were absent) and stuff them in your shoes, etc. If you have missed more than 5 consecutive days, the gnome will become pissed, and write in in the blood of a patient who has died due to your absence on your bathroom mirror...."come back, come back, come back."

If you continue to remain absent after this warning, he will simply come to your house at night, cut your phone lines, feed poisoned food to your pets, and stab you to death.

Enjoy the rest of your medicine rotation.

 

[Yosh]

I think it really depends on what rotation, why you were missing..if you cleared it...

Missing days on rotations is NEVER a good idea...if at all avoidable....

 

[southerndoc]

My school requires us to notify our medical student coordinator, attending preceptor, chief resident, and resident/intern in that order.

Usually the medical student coordinator will take care of notifying everyone else. She's phenomenal! If you're supposed to be there at 4:30 in the morning (i.e., surgery), then usually we paged the intern, gave them a heads up, then at 7:30 notified the medical student coordinator.

 

[Vincristine]

My school requires us to notify our medical student coordinator, attending preceptor, chief resident, and resident/intern in that order.

Usually the medical student coordinator will take care of notifying everyone else. She's phenomenal! If you're supposed to be there at 4:30 in the morning (i.e., surgery), then usually we paged the intern, gave them a heads up, then at 7:30 notified the medical student coordinator.

Southerndoc, I'm wondering if you (the students, presumably) told the intern and/or medical student coordinator because you were concerned about the absent student and want to make sure all was okay. Or was this more a tatling sort of thing?

 

[Seaglass]

I think the point of the post was that the sick student does the notifying, not the other students on the rotation.

c

 

[southerndoc]

Southerndoc, I'm wondering if you (the students, presumably) told the intern and/or medical student coordinator because you were concerned about the absent student and want to make sure all was okay. Or was this more a tatling sort of thing?

cg1155 has it right. The student reports his/her own absence. It's a requirement.

Remember, we're all adults now. There's no reason for me to tattle on somebody. We are responsible for our own learning... our patients deserve it!

 

[Smurfette]

At my school, depending on the rotation, an absence may not be noticed by residents or attendings. OTOH, I can tell you that a few of my classmates develop a mysterious illness the final week of each rotation. Extra study time or mysterious autoimmune afflictions? What is bad is that other students then have to pick up their slack. *sigh* Sorry, I'm just frustrated as I have a shelf exam in 11 hours and and feel a little animosity to those people who gave themselves entire days off so they could study while I was doing what was expected of me. 😡

Good thread...it's interesting to see what other school's policies are like.

 

[DOtobe]

Yeah, I've had fellow students who just happened to be sick on days that it was 70 degrees and sunny outside...How convenient.

 

[Vincristine]

cg1155 has it right. The student reports his/her own absence. It's a requirement.

Remember, we're all adults now. There's no reason for me to tattle on somebody. We are responsible for our own learning... our patients deserve it!

Southerndoc,
I'm not sure why I read the way I did, but I understand you now. I was just really surprized because it sounded like you all reported each other for being late or something. Gotcha now and I agree.

 

[fuzzyerin]

I was told before I began my third year by a bunch of fourth years and interns, and I'm in complete agreement with it now that I'm nearing the end of my own third year - you should take at least one personal day of during each rotation. Or each month, if it's a multi-month rotation. You are only a student, you really have very little actual responsibility for the patient(s) that you carry because you can't put orders in, you can't do most procedures, and you sure can't speed up the hospital. Use that day to recover from a hangover, go to the doctor, study, enjoy the sun or whatever. Because this is the only time you can truly do it - it's not something you can do in residency. I'll admit I haven't taken a day off in every rotation, but if there's one thing I hear from fourth years, it's "I wish I took more days off in third year." There's only so much you can do as a student.

 

[Vincristine]

fuzzyerin, not sure where you went to school, but even at my less than rigorous program, you'd likely be considered a slacker and not so well respected by your classmates.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
If you are sick, call your chief resident and let him or her know that you are not coming in. If you are sick, STAY HOME! You can infect the rest of your team or put your neutropenic patients in jeopardy and really make problems. Remember, that this is your education that you are paying for. If you miss a couple of days due to illness or emergency, try to make them up by taking extra call or something where you can learn. Good luck!

njbmd 🙂

 

[doc05]

taking off a couple days is no big deal, just make sure you tell them in advance. also, make sure you don't screw over other students w/changes in the call schedule.

 

[Blade28]

Hmmm...not sure about that. I know of a few classmates who have called in sick for one day...a few days in a row? Think the clerkship coordinator would get involved at that point (assuming it's not for a major illness).

 

[Harrie]

taking off a couple days is no big deal, just make sure you tell them in advance. also, make sure you don't screw over other students w/changes in the call schedule.

I think it depends on where you go to school. Taking off a couple of days at my school is a big deal. Any more than one day off and you better be real sick...in the hospital.

 

[DOtobe]

I think it depends on where you go to school. Taking off a couple of days at my school is a big deal. Any more than one day off and you better be real sick...in the hospital.

Same here - we have an attendance policy for MS-I and MS-II...MS-III and MS-IV are definitely required attendance. We are supposed to get permission from our attending, the DME, and our clinical education director - although I don't think anyone gets permission from all three.