Please help, struggling

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Lovestudying

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
44
Reaction score
7
i need a mentor. Someone with experience w residency and medical practice who can help me in residency. I need to feel safe and keep my name anonymous and program anonymous but I request help. We have limited resources in this program. I am seriously struggling mentally.

Id prefer to be able to discuss things once a week by phone discussing deficiencies and improvements ive made.

Members don't see this ad.
 
Last edited:

It's asking a bit much for a complete stranger to give up an hour or two every week of their time to provide you with counseling and mentor ship and it has to be done through phone conversations only. You haven't provided any details on what the issues are so people have no clue if they are qualified and can even help you in that subject.

An approach that may get you started on some advice from others is providing more information here on this message board. There's a way to limit the details you provide so that you and your program can still remain anonymous. Good luck
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Sorry for the late reply. I've had a rough few weeks.

Basically I struggle with being a bit absent minded on rotations, keeping track of the small details- like making sure notes are left in chart, making sure to follow up with imaging or making sure I am knowledgeable about everything about a patient. I tend to forget these things- I guess my short term memory isn't the best? Either that or others have come up with a way to remember these details much better than myself.

I also have issues with presenting the relevant information, and getting and gathering the information specific to the patients.

I've been told repeatedly that I am very knowledgeable bookwise but otherwise struggle.
 
Make lists of things to do. If you have to put 'write daily progress note' on it until you remember, do that. Constantly check this list and update it throughout the day. Unless you aren't paying attention this will solve your most visible problems. Remembering details on a pt is meh unless it's something important like the reason they are in the hospital or their major problems.

It's easier to focus on one issue at a time so get better at normal intern task stuff by making detailed copious lists until this is no longer an issue for you.
 
Sorry for the late reply. I've had a rough few weeks.

Basically I struggle with being a bit absent minded on rotations, keeping track of the small details- like making sure notes are left in chart, making sure to follow up with imaging or making sure I am knowledgeable about everything about a patient. I tend to forget these things- I guess my short term memory isn't the best? Either that or others have come up with a way to remember these details much better than myself.

I also have issues with presenting the relevant information, and getting and gathering the information specific to the patients.

I've been told repeatedly that I am very knowledgeable bookwise but otherwise struggle.
uhh, the fact that you consider these things as "small" details is part of your issue...what do you consider to be "big" details?
 
Its all about checkboxes. when i was in training, every patient that I was taking care had a card where I wrote all of the labs/vitals etc etc and during rounds when we had things to do for that patient like calling consultants/imaging etc, I would make a checkbox to remind me of all the tasks to be done.
 
Have you discussed this with your chiefs? I'd start there.
 
uhh, the fact that you consider these things as "small" details is part of your issue...what do you consider to be "big" details?

I think small details was the wrong word. I meant the individual details for the bigger picture of taking care of pt.
 
It's almost March and what you describe are major issues, not minor details. I'm glad you're aware that you are struggling-that's a good first step. Talk to the nicest chief you have ASAP so they can round with you and find some ways to help.
 
i agree that i'm not sure many people on here are going to have time once per week to talk to someone for an hour on the phone, as we are all residents ourselves. you definitely need someone but i want to make sure that you've exhausted your resources at your residency before you start looking elsewhere for things.

do you have anxiety? do you not have much of a system? how do you do these things now? how did you do things in med school? what sort of counseling have you yourself pursued? when you say limited resources at your program what have you already tried to access? i think a bit more information will be helpful.

a private counselor will be able to understand anxiety and mental health issues but likely won't be able to relate to struggles of residency specifically. a psychiatrist who does counseling will be able to and may offer some skills that will help you survive. think about everyone you've interacted with in residency and find the person who comes the closest to being someone you can open up to about this. meet with them and ask what they do or have done to stay efficient in their job. will be much easier to be able to talk with someone who knows you and your program to get you through this.

i need a mentor. Someone with experience w residency and medical practice who can help me in residency. I need to feel safe and keep my name anonymous and program anonymous but I request help. We have limited resources in this program. I am seriously struggling mentally.

Id prefer to be able to discuss things once a week by phone discussing deficiencies and improvements ive made.
 
https://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/things-to-do-to-shine-in-pgy-1.1188633/#post-17640862

This is a lot of info and some of it may or may not be helpful. It's more than you had yesterday.

Learn how to do an SDN search if you don't know how. It's the google-like box upper right hand corner. You can put in my username if you want to search my past posts or threads I've commented in.

You can PM me but I can't promise what I can do in response to help.

In the info I gave you:
1) Basic self care, now

2) If that includes medical care, for mental or physical health issues, there are ways to obtain it that can be better or worse for a medical career from a medicolegal perspective. This is fact. Safe medical care should be sought when needed.

3) If one is in trouble with their program, aside from making sure they are taking care of themselves physically, mentally, medically, they might consider legal counsel. Legal counsel can help getting basic self care and getting treatment, and protecting a medical career.

4) Focus on remediation. The article you provided is a good start to the topic. This last part, in my links I discuss how one might legally, with or without an attorney, protect themselves while not antagonizing their program.

5) In my links are some ideas for how to improve in the areas you mentioned. I have had residents and attendings tell me it was worthless drivel. I have had residents who self identified as struggling thank me for it. It's free and I think is worth more than a punch in my nuts.

6) Read heavily searches on SDN related to probation, remediation, transferring, dismissals, terminations, resignations. I think what I post might be a little roadmap through some SDN experience and opinion threads.

The topic of whether or not one is put on probation, continued, fail probation, allowed to repeat rotations or even a year, be summarily dismissed, is complex.
So is transferring. To a different program, same specialty, or a different specialty entirely. Cases are discussed on SDN to give you an idea of what has happened to others.

But if using all of the powers of your program, yourself, family, mentors, treating physicians, Jesus, and SECRET legal advice, remediation or transferring is not likely, then things may be moving towards dismissal/termination. They may offer to let you resign. As soon as I suspected I was on this road, I would at least consult an attorney.

A negotiated voluntary resignation is usually much much better than a termination.

It is true that one can seek legal counsel, like any advice, and make things worse.

7) I am not a lawyer. I am not offering medical advice. Free opinions, consider, research, discard or use as you see fit. Godspeed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Im not worried about graduating. However I am concerned about becoming a better doctor.
 
Oh. I just saw all your other posts about transferring and licensing questions and backup jobs, that I assumed you might be headed for the can.
 
I dont recall discussing transferring but if i did it must have been brief
 
Top