Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
The answer is always going to be "it depends". However, in general I would speak to the resident first, and then up the chain of command if needed. The key here is how you discuss it. If you say "I think you have completely mismanaged this case", that's not going to go well. I would recommend you play dumb -- start with "Why did you make XYZ decision?" and then bring other diagnostic / therapeutic options into the mix. The bottom line is that as a student, you are probably less skilled than the resident and there is a reasonable chance that what you think is a mistake is actually good care. In that case, it's also important for you to learn from this. On the other hand, if it's not, you have an ethical duty to do something. Making the resident look bad by reporting directly to the attending will not go over well, in general.
