Please tell me I'm not the only intern who sucks

[ForeverandEver]

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I'm in my second week into my residency (MICU) and I suck. Please tell me I'm not the only one who sucks. And please tell me it gets better than this!

 

[Doctor Bagel]

You're an intern at the start of the year. You don't have to be good. Focus on learning, working hard and being nice to everyone. If you do those things, you've got like a 99.9% chance of succeeding.

 

[Dr. USMLE]

.

 

[Perrotfish]

I'm in my second week into my residency (MICU) and I suck. Please tell me I'm not the only one who sucks. And please tell me it gets better than this!

Everyone sucks now. The good news is that in a month you'll have finished one of the hardest rotations and will be semi-competent while those of us who started on clinic will still suck only now it won't be the start of the year anymore so there won't be any sympathy.

 

[ForeverandEver]

^That makes me feel better! I like hearing that it's hard so it validates my perception of it. Some of the things that I've messed up on are legitimate, of course, but there are others that are just hard because of how MICU is!

 

[Dr. USMLE]

^That makes me feel better! I like hearing that it's hard so it validates my perception of it. Some of the things that I've messed up on are legitimate, of course, but there are others that are just hard because of how MICU is!

Honestly, I'd be careful with that...yes, we're all novices but we're judged on our progression. If the seniors are often exasperated or have to repeatedly tell u things, u may suck worse than others

 

[ForeverandEver]

Haha no most of the stuff they're saying is for the first time. But there's gotta be a first time! New hospital, new EMR, new everything!

 

[Winged Scapula]

There is a great deal of variation amongst knowledge base and practical skills which is most evident at the beginning of residency.

Everyone comes from a different environment with different experiences and opportunities. I trained with interns who came from Knife and Gun Club trauma heavy programs and had put in central lines and chest tubes as students; I had never seen one placed, let alone done one myself. I had spent a lot of time during rural general surgery and plastics and was more comfortable with the surgical management of pregnant females, making burr holes, hammering in an IM nail and putting on ex-fixes. But by the middle of the year things like expectations, knowledge base, and skills seem to even out. I'm sure you'll find the same will happen to you.

 

[Chakrabs]

Nope, no you're not. My very first rotation is in the neuro-icu and I feel like Jon Snow - I know nothing! But even today (the second day) I already started to feel more comfortable - I was able to organize myself better, I could actually properly order things, and would give answers on the patients. It helps that we have some amazing and understanding nurses and PAs that have been helping me out a tremendous amount. Its a matter of getting the reps in and I'm sure the vast majority of us will do just fine.

 

[ForeverandEver]

Well, I have a few more weeks to show that I'm improving-- the first few days of some of my med school rotations were usually a little rough too when I was adjusting, so I hope it gets better! And I hope that other rotations throughout the year will be less overwhelming!

 

[HiddenGentleman]

Nope, no you're not. My very first rotation is in the neuro-icu and I feel like Jon Snow - I know nothing! But even today (the second day) I already started to feel more comfortable - I was able to organize myself better, I could actually properly order things, and would give answers on the patients. It helps that we have some amazing and understanding nurses and PAs that have been helping me out a tremendous amount. Its a matter of getting the reps in and I'm sure the vast majority of us will do just fine.

I literally laughed out loud at that ASOIAF reference.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

Nope, no you're not. My very first rotation is in the neuro-icu and I feel like Jon Snow - I know nothing! But even today (the second day) I already started to feel more comfortable - I was able to organize myself better, I could actually properly order things, and would give answers on the patients. It helps that we have some amazing and understanding nurses and PAs that have been helping me out a tremendous amount. Its a matter of getting the reps in and I'm sure the vast majority of us will do just fine.

 

[Top Gun]

You're definitely not the only intern who sucks. I would say most interns suck in July. That's why its most dangerous for patients to be admitted to the hospital in July. The good news is that most interns progress pretty rapidly throughout the year and become relatively competent by the end of the year.

 

[DOk1ng]

I'm in my second week into my residency (MICU) and I suck. Please tell me I'm not the only one who sucks. And please tell me it gets better than this!

feeling suck is very subjective. If you have high expectations from your self, then u r going to feel scuk.

where do u feel suck?

is it learnng system and the people or clinical skills nd MK ?

i have to start reading because i haven't opened book in long time nd had easy rotations in 4 th year.

learning computer system esp. cpoe is time consuming because you have to search for where things u want are.


also, living in a city far from family is hard too. so i have been calling my parents and siblings since day one of residency.

so when do programs expect you to overcome all this stuff?

i bet different programs hve differnt thresholds.

 

[ForeverandEver]

I feel like I suck at everything lol. Fourth year really made me rusty. The last few months of fourth year where I didn't have rotations definitely made me regress to the level of probably an MS3-- like there are so many things I used to know but no longer know. Plus this new EMR sucks. I hate this EMR. I don't know where to find things.

 

[Mattchiavelli]

Knowing answers to a test from studying =/= clinical judgement =/= the ability to do a task quickly and efficiently in a new hospital system

If you're that worried ask the least threatening upper level you work with regularly if you're a total mess or not. If so, ask them what it is specifically you should focus on and then get better at it. If you were at the level of a staff physician after med school then we wouldn't need residency.

If not, just remember ABCs ABCs ABCs ABCs ABCs for the ICU at least, everything else can get consulted :b

 

[Harrison486]

Thank god for this thread.

I just finished my first week (in the CCU) and I don't think I've ever felt so stupid.

 

[cpants]

Keep your heads up. You know more than you think you do. Focus on the physiology and the pharmacology, and think things through. Don't let anyone intimidate you, especially the nurses.

I started internship on ICU, and while it was very overwhelming, it puts you at a big advantage for the rotations to come. You will come out of there a lot more comfortable managing floor patients, which is what the rest of your year will likely entail.

ABC's should be the first thing you assess with every patient and reassessed when anything changes.

 

[gasblaster]

My problem is that I don't have my first floor month until January. So I'll be the intern that doesn't know what the hell they're doing even though the year is half over....

 

[Dr. USMLE]

My problem is that I don't have my first floor month until January. So I'll be the intern that doesn't know what the hell they're doing even though the year is half over....

Haha...I requested a front-loaded schedule so I could coast for the latter half of the year and get Xmas/new years and the last 2 weeks off for packing. But it's nice to have time to get used to the system, EMR, and get step 3 done early with early electives.

 

[DocDanny]

Knowing answers to a test from studying =/= clinical judgement =/= the ability to do a task quickly and efficiently.

This is so true. I was a mediocre test taker. But I feel like I am doing ok.

Alot of the skill needed in Gen Med is interpersonal. Communicate with nurses, ask questions, swallow your pride and ask for help. Oh, and be organized.

I've made a few mistakes, but I try to learn from them. They are learning points! Like I had to write my first SSI orders, and they were very inadequate. I also dictated the wrong patient.

I know I will get more efficient with time, and smarter too. But even with all this, I feel dumb sometimes.

 

[gasblaster]

Haha...I requested a front-loaded schedule so I could coast for the latter half of the year and get Xmas/new years and the last 2 weeks off for packing. But it's nice to have time to get used to the system, EMR, and get step 3 done early with early electives.

Yeah that makes sense too. I'm a weather/outdoors person so I figured I'd take advantage of the summers and spring but then just compound the pain of winter. We'll see if Step 3 actually gets done early...

 

[Hour30]

I feel like I suck at everything lol. Fourth year really made me rusty. The last few months of fourth year where I didn't have rotations definitely made me regress to the level of probably an MS3-- like there are so many things I used to know but no longer know. Plus this new EMR sucks. I hate this EMR. I don't know where to find things.

I think med students should do a couple ICU months in 4th year to keep the skills up.

 

[gasblaster]

I think med students should do a couple ICU months in 4th year to keep the skills up.

Haha as a 4th year I would've protested this vehemently. As an intern, I would advocate this. Actually, who am I kidding. I loved 4th year and wouldn't change a thing about it haha.

 

[GOMERE]

Don't worry, you'll soon find MICU easy enough. I think that MICU was by far the easiest for me. The patients were sedated/unconcious/comastosed, so could run through the PE quick without hearing their life stories over and over again. Though they had lots of medical problems, i could look at the numbers and find tx for each abnormal number lol. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. If they'd let us, i bet i could have done it from home via a secured network.