not happy with program

[lotus100]

hi,
i haven't started my internal medicine internship, but i think i made a grave mistake. i don't have a good feeling about the program and was wondering if i had to wait 1 year and then transfer? how difficult would that be? what are the legal reasons for transfering?
also, i didn't get an acls book or medical/dental health insurance information. Is that standard? other people have received an acls book but i didn't. how am i suppose to study if i don't have the book and do they expect me to take the course just like that? what am i do to? do i call them asking for a book? do i have to purchase an acls book on my own? please help me!!!
naive and upset!

lotus100

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[Magree]

Hi:

What makes you think you made a mistake? Have you gained more information since your interview? There are people who switch after the match - its frowned upon but it does happen. Do you have any other places to go? If you really feel like you've made a mistake maybe you should think about exploring other options. But a lot of people have "cold feet" at this stage of the game.

M-

 

[Winged Scapula]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by lotus100:
•hi,
i haven't started my internal medicine internship, but i think i made a grave mistake. i don't have a good feeling about the program and was wondering if i had to wait 1 year and then transfer? how difficult would that be? what are the legal reasons for transfering?
also, i didn't get an acls book or medical/dental health insurance information. Is that standard? other people have received an acls book but i didn't. how am i suppose to study if i don't have the book and do they expect me to take the course just like that? what am i do to? do i call them asking for a book? do i have to purchase an acls book on my own? please help me!!!
naive and upset!

lotus100•••••People transfer all the time. However, it is MUCH too early to consider it if you haven't even started. To transfer between programs (ie, without losing a year) you must have a LOR from your current PD - therefore, do your best to make the best of a potentially bad situation if things turn out as dire as you expect.

As for ACLS, its only mid May - I didn't get my book until about 2 weeks in advance. And we didn't get any Med/Dental information until Orientation. I would expect that your program is the same. Programs do NOT operate the same way - just because someone else at another program has all the above information, etc. doesn't mean that it is standard or that your program is somehow suspect.

best of luck.

 

[tedsadoc2002]

My suggestion is to call or e-mail the residency coordinator and ask if these materials should have arrived yet or are they given to you later. There may be some confusion as to your address or perhaps it simply isn't the time that the program sends out it's materials.

This may take away a bit of the apprehension you are having now, it will at least give you an idea of what to expect.

I hope things go better than you expected, but if not, Kim gives some excellent advice. In order to tranfer, you will need a very good LOR from the PD. Best of luck to you.

 

[lotus100]

thank you guys- you have eased some of the anxiety i was feeling. i called up the program and was told that i would get the book at orientation and then the next day would be acls training. i still think that my program is not giving me enough time to prepare for the acls- 1 nite! anyway, thanks again for your advice and comments.
:wink:

 

[docab]

Like Kimberli, our program deals with the medical and dental insurance paperwork during orientation. If you're concerned about preparing for ACLS, you can always purchase on your own a copy of the ACLS book put out by the American Heart Association. I have the 1997 version (I suspect there's an updated book now as some algorithm changes have since occurred) and the chapters we were told were "essential to successfully complete the course" were titled: Essentials of ACLS (this is the chapter with the algorithms), Cardiovascular pharmacology I & II and The Acute Coronary Syndromes Including Acute Myocardial Infarction. "Course relevant therapeutic techniques" were in the chapters titled: Adjuncts for Airway Control, Ventilation, and Oxygenation, Defibrillation, Emergency Cardiac Pacing, and Intravenous Techniques. Hope that helps.