Rearview Mirror: Counting down the Days

[NeuroSync]

Goodnight, EM2BE. I'm going to eat thai food and watch a movie. I hope you have a great day tomorrow!

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[EM2BE]

Yea, the best rotations are the ones that let you DO something. You will LOVE EM. Also try to do an anesthesiology rotation fo sho!!!

Definitely...at least 2 weeks. That and ICU for a month. At another hospital system so that I will get to do something. It's just here they don't have students do anything because I guess they think it will be too much for us. Ready to plan 4th year elsewhere at this point. Then again...was on call last night and probably just irritable right now.

 

[EM2BE]

Goodnight, EM2BE. I'm going to eat thai food and watch a movie. I hope you have a great day tomorrow!

Night. Sounds fun..wish I didn't have to get up early. Was nice to have the day off. On call again on Saturday...at least I can sleep in in the morning and go in at night. Hope you have a great day tomorrow too!

 

[EM2BE]

I have at least 3 tv shows to catch up on. Been a busier week for me.

 

[EM2BE]

Almost forgot I had my white coats soaking in bleach water...probably should finish it up or I won't have a coat for tomorrow.

 

[NeuroSync]

Almost forgot I had my white coats soaking in bleach water...probably should finish it up or I won't have a coat for tomorrow.

As I've said before, you will LOVE 4th year. And 3rd year is cool. It goes by SO fast. You learn more than you even know. I think everything after 2nd year is great.

 

[EM2BE]

As I've said before, you will LOVE 4th year. And 3rd year is cool. It goes by SO fast. You learn more than you even know. I think everything after 2nd year is great.

I agree with you on this one. Oh ya, the york you have an interview at, is that york hospital or memorial hospital in york, pa?

 

[NeuroSync]

I agree with you on this one. Oh ya, the york you have an interview at, is that york hospital or memorial hospital in york, pa?

Yes, but I canceled. I did not expect my applications to be received so favorably. I applied very broadly, and then pulled 22 apps when it became apparent that I was competitive at all of the places I just hoped to be on a waiting list for an interview! I think York has a great reputation as a great community hospital with dedicated faculty. It would have been a cool place to see, but too far away from family for me...

 

[EM2BE]

Yes, but I canceled. I did not expect my applications to be received so favorably. I applied very broadly, and then pulled 22 apps when it became apparent that I was competitive at all of the places I just hoped to be on a waiting list for an interview! I think York has a great reputation as a great community hospital with dedicated faculty. It would have been a cool place to see, but too far away from family for me...

That's good you were so well received.

I have a rotation at Memorial Hospital in York in Feb set up (EM of course). So excited.

 

[RxnMan]

Almost forgot I had my white coats soaking in bleach water...probably should finish it up or I won't have a coat for tomorrow.

Ah yes, that reminds me - my short (yellow) coat should get washed some time...

As I've said before, you will LOVE 4th year. And 3rd year is cool. It goes by SO fast. You learn more than you even know. I think everything after 2nd year is great.

I hope so. The work and the hours aren't so bad. I like learning, and I like working with patients - even the difficult ones. What I don't like is never knowing where you should be or what you should be doing. And how your evals (which make up most of your grade) are based on those flawed expectations

 

[NeuroSync]

I hope so. The work and the hours aren't so bad. I like learning, and I like working with patients - even the difficult ones. What I don't like is never knowing where you should be or what you should be doing. And how your evals (which make up most of your grade) are based on those flawed expectations

That part DOES suck. It's is terrible to live by everyone else's schedule. The worst is when you are done with YOUR work, but they make you hang around for HOURS and then say. Oh, you can go home now...gee thanks.

One of the things I'm MOST looking forward to about residency is that I can just go to work, do my best for patients, play well with others, but not worry about what personalities are going to grade me and what they are going to say. There are fewer egg shells to walk upon...

 

[EM2BE]

As time goes on in the medical world, I am discovering how connected people can be to people in other fields and good about telling you who the good doctors and bad doctors are (of course very opinionated, but better than looking off a list of doctors and picking one).

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

Mm, on call in psych overnight. joy of joys.

 

[EM2BE]

Mm, on call in psych overnight. joy of joys.

I never had call on psych. I'm sure it's quite fun...

Call is actually rare for us..nice but probably not good for the education aspect.

 

[RxnMan]

That part DOES suck. It's is terrible to live by everyone else's schedule. The worst is when you are done with YOUR work, but they make you hang around for HOURS and then say. Oh, you can go home now...gee thanks...

Yesterday I asked for mid-rotation feedback from my resident and she tells me I'm not doing enough. Turns out she assumed we should round on a set of patients, separate from the ones we see in the OR.

1. We don't know where these patients are,
2. Or that they existed,
3. Our clerkship director tolds us specifically to only round on people we see in the OR (I assume students were abused in the past).

Now, I round on everyone I can, but I'm seen as lazy. And yesterday afternoon, I've seen every procedure I can, my notes are written, and there's nothing goin on. I go to the call room to get my stuff, and who's there? This resident, hangin out. I can't leave now 'cause she'll see me and think I'm lazy, so I turn around and study for a couple of hours until they leave.

 

[NeuroSync]

Yesterday I asked for mid-rotation feedback from my resident and she tells me I'm not doing enough. Turns out she assumed we should round on a set of patients, separate from the ones we see in the OR.

1. We don't know where these patients are,
2. Or that they existed,
3. Our clerkship director tolds us specifically to only round on people we see in the OR (I assume students were abused in the past).

Now, I round on everyone I can, but I'm seen as lazy. And yesterday afternoon, I've seen every procedure I can, my notes are written, and there's nothing goin on. I go to the call room to get my stuff, and who's there? This resident, hangin out. I can't leave now 'cause she'll see me and think I'm lazy, so I turn around and study for a couple of hours until they leave.

That kind of crap is EXACTLY what I hated about 3rd year. Hang in there! It will be over before you know it.

 

[EM2BE]

Yesterday I asked for mid-rotation feedback from my resident and she tells me I'm not doing enough. Turns out she assumed we should round on a set of patients, separate from the ones we see in the OR.

1. We don't know where these patients are,
2. Or that they existed,
3. Our clerkship director tolds us specifically to only round on people we see in the OR (I assume students were abused in the past).

Now, I round on everyone I can, but I'm seen as lazy. And yesterday afternoon, I've seen every procedure I can, my notes are written, and there's nothing goin on. I go to the call room to get my stuff, and who's there? This resident, hangin out. I can't leave now 'cause she'll see me and think I'm lazy, so I turn around and study for a couple of hours until they leave.

Totally sucks for you. Hope the rotation is almost over. Also, possible to get feedback from the attending? Maybe the resident is just being a punk.

 

[NeuroSync]

Totally sucks for you. Hope the rotation is almost over. Also, possible to get feedback from the attending? Maybe the resident is just being a punk.

I'm about to go into blackout mode again. I am doing an 8 mile run, taking a shower, and then driving 11 hours to my next month-long EM Sub-I at UC-Davis. I have my research project for graduation to finish while I'm there, and 3 interviews to get to.

I'll see you guys on the flip side!!!

 

[EM2BE]

I'm about to go into blackout mode again. I am doing an 8 mile run, taking a shower, and then driving 11 hours to my next month-long EM Sub-I at UC-Davis. I have my research project for graduation to finish while I'm there, and 3 interviews to get to.

I'll see you guys on the flip side!!!

It's been fun. Hope the drive goes well for you! And good luck with all that!

 

[RxnMan]

Totally sucks for you. Hope the rotation is almost over. Also, possible to get feedback from the attending? Maybe the resident is just being a punk.

Our rotation is 6 weeks (split b/t OB and Gyn) and I've got another 4 weeks. We don't have much contact with the residents or attendings outside of the OR, so critisism is hard to come by.

Currently waiting around on weekend OB call. We've got two patients on the entire service, and we've got all day to wait for them to drop.

 

[EM2BE]

Our rotation is 6 weeks (split b/t OB and Gyn) and I've got another 4 weeks. We don't have much contact with the residents or attendings outside of the OR, so critisism is hard to come by.

Currently waiting around on weekend OB call. We've got two patients on the entire service, and we've got all day to wait for them to drop.

That's too bad that you have that much left. Hopefully you don't get too bored.

 

[EM2BE]

Did a dent in shopping today. Got one person done for Christmas, only a few more to go.

 

[deleted109597]

posting from the couch on my smartphone. Watching the cowboys redskins. Drinking a beer (saranac nut brown)

 

[EM2BE]

Note to self: Doctors will call with test results after 5pm so stay awake for the phone call...

Edit: I guess it's kind of good I missed the call. Happy birthday, you have ________. I can put it off for a day.

 

[RxnMan]

Walked into the call room yesterday to drop off my white coat b/f my first operation of the day and I see one of the new residents (they just rotated). Before I can introduce myself, the resident starts to question me:

Resident: Why weren't you in the OR earlier?
Me: ??? My first case starts in 5mins.
R: But you were supposed to be in the OR earlier - your classmate told me so.
M: No, the students split up cases in the AM, and I don't know why someone wasn't in that early case, but mine starts now.

I confronted this classmate earlier today in front of the other students. She swore up and down she didn't mean to imply anything, said "I say good things about my classmates", even got a little teary-eyed.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks...

 

[RxnMan]

Note to self: Doctors will call with test results after 5pm so stay awake for the phone call...

Edit: I guess it's kind of good I missed the call. Happy birthday, you have ________. I can put it off for a day.

Ugh, that blows. Good luck.

 

[EM2BE]

Ugh, that blows. Good luck.

Missed the phone call again tonight. Had lecture...originally schedule in an area with good reception...for some reason got moved to the middle of a building with no windows and no reception. Got the voice message of "I tried again, will call back tomorrow." I wish the message of what is to be said would just be left instead. Hospitals do not have cell phone reception worth anything (at least for me).

/end rant

 

[EM2BE]

Walked into the call room yesterday to drop off my white coat b/f my first operation of the day and I see one of the new residents (they just rotated). Before I can introduce myself, the resident starts to question me:

Resident: Why weren't you in the OR earlier?
Me: ??? My first case starts in 5mins.
R: But you were supposed to be in the OR earlier - your classmate told me so.
M: No, the students split up cases in the AM, and I don't know why someone wasn't in that early case, but mine starts now.

I confronted this classmate earlier today in front of the other students. She swore up and down she didn't mean to imply anything, said "I say good things about my classmates", even got a little teary-eyed.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks...

uggh. I hate people who try to be competitive and try to do what they can to make a person look bad. I do what I can to help my peers out (like remind them something they were supposed to look up before the attending asks about it). A friendly reminder of course, not a you need to do this and I definitely don't go do it and not remind them just to make them look bad.

One more thing...how did the resident not know that you guys split cases up in the mornings? I'm guessing new may mean never had surgery rotation before? And if so, if I were them, I'd leave it to the others who knew what was going on to confront instead of being new and acting like I knew what was going on.

 

[EM2BE]

Ends up the diagnosis was finally officially made. Started taking meds within an hour of the phone call. Very efficient!!!! (Yes, I am oddly excited...probably because I've been working on this for a year)

 

[deleted109597]

So, where is everyone.
Anyone planning on coming out to my neck of the woods for an interview? Feel free to PM, or post anonymously through whatever source you see fit.

 

[EM2BE]

So, where is everyone.
Anyone planning on coming out to my neck of the woods for an interview? Feel free to PM, or post anonymously through whatever source you see fit.

I'm around here. Keep flipping back looking for something new instead of studying. I will study tomorrow. I promise.

 

[EM2BE]

Need to stop taking naps.

 

[EM2BE]

 

[EM2BE]

I can't believe this thread was started 7 mos ago and we haven't hit 1000 yet.

 

[NeuroSync]

I can't believe this thread was started 7 mos ago and we haven't hit 1000 yet.

Well, it isn't because you aren't trying...

 

[EM2BE]

Well, it isn't because you aren't trying...

You are helping some. It's the others that are seriously slacking off. Maybe I've just had it easy since I got started with rotations. I may have 3 rough mos coming up starting in Jan. Who knows though...IM hasn't been bad so far. Less than or equal to 8 hr days, rarely more than this. And now that I have meds, I have SOOOOOO much more energy than I have had for a year or 2.

 

[Old_Mil]

One of the things I'm MOST looking forward to about residency is that I can just go to work, do my best for patients, play well with others, but not worry about what personalities are going to grade me and what they are going to say. There are fewer egg shells to walk upon...

I don't know about you, but from what I've seen of the lives of residents that isn't necessarily the case...

...and certainly, in EM with the coming day of patient-satisfaction based reimbursement, we're going to be worrying how personalities grade us and what they say for the rest of our careers.

 

[NeuroSync]

I don't know about you, but from what I've seen of the lives of residents that isn't necessarily the case...

...and certainly, in EM with the coming day of patient-satisfaction based reimbursement, we're going to be worrying how personalities grade us and what they say for the rest of our careers.

You know what I mean, I think, about the grades and personalities and how much control they have over you. I go out of my way for patients and to get along well with staff. And I have found that most people in EM do. That's one of the reasons why I love it so much.

 

[RxnMan]

...Less than or equal to 8 hr days, rarely more than this...

If this is your IM schedule, then yes, you have an easy schedule. Most of my non-call days were 11+ hrs.

I have 10 more days of OB, and I will counting down. It will be awesome:

Resident during orientation: Now, don't look down on the nurses, and don't treat them like 2nd-class citizens. (this female resident spoke only to the single female student, and never made eye contact with the 3 men on the team)
-----------------------------
Resident1: (to the team of students) Before you divvy up the patients, let me explain the board. Women in active labor are coded with...[explains some of how women are tracked in the department]...and then here -
Nurse: Doctor, can you come here?
R1: (walks away without a word)

...minutes pass...

Resident2: Why are you waiting? There's enough patients! You should all be working!
Me: R1 told us to wait until we knew how to read the board -
R2: Fine! Women in active labor are coded with...[tells us what we already know]...and then here -
Nurse: Doctor, I need you in room X.
R2: (Walks away without a word)
Me: ???

 

[RxnMan]

...A friendly reminder of course, not a you need to do this and I definitely don't go do it and not remind them just to make them look bad...

Turns out she later went back and confronted the resident about the situation.

While she has a history of doing these sorts of actions, I don't believe she intended to make anyone bad. When she talked to me about her confrontation with the resident, it took on a tone of "telling on you to mom/dad/authority figure." I think she plain and simple doesn't know any better.

 

[RxnMan]

You know what I mean, I think, about the grades and personalities and how much control they have over you. I go out of my way for patients and to get along well with staff. And I have found that most people in EM do. That's one of the reasons why I love it so much.

I think a large amount of my grief w/r/to 3rd and 4th year will vanish with residency simply because most of my time will be spent working for and with people I know. I won't be constantly switching around having to figure out how the personalities work. In the department, I'll know who my attending is, who my senior is, and so on.

Heck, I might even be able to trust some of them...

 

[RxnMan]

I am in the throes of OB, and a smattering of things are helping me hold on:

1: Thanksgiving
2: Upcoming Psych-ation
3: Applying to the NIH's CRTP. (I'd like to give a shout-out to OBP for helping me write my app, and to roja for convincing me to apply [it promises to be awesome ])

 

[RxnMan]

I can't believe this thread was started 7 mos ago and we haven't hit 1000 yet.

There, enough post pads for ya?

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

I'm on Neuro now, and have no interest in it. Thankfully, only 4 weeks, and this week has thanksgiving!

I've decided I want to do sports medicine. I'm trying to figure out if I should go FM, EM, PM&R, or shoot for the moon for Ortho to get there. I don't even think I'd be competitive for Ortho, but its on the list.
halp

 

[SoCuteMD]

If this is your IM schedule, then yes, you have an easy schedule. Most of my non-call days were 11+ hrs.

My days on medicine were like this as well. Plus q4 call. Plus Saturdays.

Honestly - 8 hour days on medicine and no call?

 

[EM2BE]

There, enough post pads for ya?

Maybe.

If it makes you all feel better I just got back from call (yes I know I got done super early...but what do you do when they always send you home...)

What's been the worst for me is that I've had a new attending pretty much every week, if not more often. You all think it's bad switching every month...this is terrible. By the end of the week you can anticipate and know the personalities and start getting comfortable, then I get thrown in another environment. Even switching systems every 2 weeks is not uncommon. I have definitely found a negative point to this program. Then again, if they decide to match me for residency, it would be better than having to scramble. And yes, I'm already communicating this a year early.

 

[EM2BE]

My days on medicine were like this as well. Plus q4 call. Plus Saturdays.

Honestly - 8 hour days on medicine and no call?

Did they have places for you to lie down if you got down time? We don't have that here...think that's why call is minimal and we get sent home so early.

 

[EM2BE]

and woohoo for the padders today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NeuroSync]

and woohoo for the padders today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

De nada.

 

[SoCuteMD]

Did they have places for you to lie down if you got down time? We don't have that here...think that's why call is minimal and we get sent home so early.

There was nowhere to lie down. We still took call with our team.