reading during the day?

[ultane123]

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do you guys find yourselves ever reading on the job at your clerkship? for some reason i always feel guilty about even though the residents do the same at times, esp in the late evenings. i just feel that i sit there for long periods of times, while they are always getting up and still checking on things. what to do?
u.

 

[bigfrank]

I wondered the same thing for a few weeks, but I quickly drew some [valid] conclusions:

1. Taking care of your patients doesn't have to involve visiting their room every 10 minutes (some of my female classmates are having a difficult time understanding this concept).
2. If you're a generally nice person, the residents will generally treat you with respect, grade you fairly, and won't care that you read, especially if you're reading relevant material.
3. The residents have their own lives, their own marital problems/kid problems/etc., their own in-service exams to prepare for and, frankly, don't notice you as much as you may think. Bottom line: they don't care that much about you!
4. It is INCREDIBLE the amount of information that you can learn by studying for 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there throughout the course of the day. You can dramatically reduce (or eliminate) nighttime studying and still do extremely well on shelf exams. During the third-year, I've studied at home almost none and have not suffered academically. But I've not wasted a single minute on the wards.

Hope this helps. Best wishes

 

[jamie]

My experience as a fourth year student is that residents KNOW that you have reading to do (they aren't that long out of med school), and are more than happy to leave you be for long periods of time to read. I've had several flat out tell me to go to bed at night. They don't expect you to be cross-covering all the patients like they are, checking on them frequently (unless there is a real concern), or, overall, acting like another intern. Trust me -- more often than not, if you disappear for hours at a time, they won't notice. Being a med student with no real responsibility can be a beautiful thing.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Trust me -- more often than not, if you disappear for hours at a time, they won't notice.

Or will be happy about it...nothing worse than a medical student albatross around your neck! 😀

 

[DOtobe]

Or will be happy about it...nothing worse than a medical student albatross around your neck! 😀

I had an FP attending who would call all medical students albatrosses - and then add in "No offense."

I wouldn't feel guilty about reading. As the others have said, medical students don't have the same responsibilities as interns and residents. If anything, if you know your patient had some labs ordered earlier in the day, you could check and see if they came back and then inform your resident. Other than that, enjoy the study time 🙂

 

[Winged Scapula]

Seriously - if everything is done and tidied up, then you SHOULD read or relax or whatever. I understand the guilt - I feel it too when I have some downtime (except that I'm usually NOT reading). Residents understand you have studying to do and should encourage you to be efficient with your time. Therefore, if the patients are doing well, all labs and tests are in or pending and your resident has nothing pressing for you to do, go read!