What regrets do you guys have about things you wish you would have done differently during residency? I want to make sure these few years count and learn as much as possible so would like to see if people regret doing or not doing certain things that could benefit them as an attending/in future, thx
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Failing to prioritize my oldest son's emotional well being.
I.e.--Care for yourself and your loved ones first.
I.e.--Care for yourself and your loved ones first.
Based on the other thread, state law about administering ECT for a patient who lacks capacity!
Shoulda started my own individual therapy sooner.
Feeling like hard ethical or medico-legal decisions were all up to me. I would have felt less shame in having my attendings decide and/or getting the hospital administration involved. My most stressful residency experiences involved decisions constrained by institutional pressures, which weren't' always clinical. The endured risk was above my pay-grade.
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Ouch. This one hit home for me.
Definitely true. I'm at a place with a lot of "autonomy" but didn't realize how much stuff was well beyond my control or pay-grade. I internalized a lot of failures of the system and goofy protocol/institutional type stuff, causing a lot of pointless stress on my part. Getting through this was actually... therapeutic for me even outside of work, ie, residency was in a sense some kind of exposure therapy and the benefits have externalized to much of my outside life for the better.
You'll get lots of clinical answers but I think this is a key time to take advantage of socially. We aren't neurosurgeons doing 88+ hours a week, seize the opportunity to spent time with your co-residents and residents in other specialties or your specialty at other programs in town. You will make lifelong friends, people who you can reference for their clinical skills via a text message. For single individuals, this is easily the best time to find a life partner due to the automatic camaraderie/friend network you will have with other residents (who will have other friends...). Young attendings or senior residents can be a great help with your career, helping you compare offers and figure out what you are looking for in your first job. Needless to say, senior attendings can be a wealth of knowledge beyond clinical pearls and are often well connected when you are at conferences or just making introductions.
I would like to have taken some time off to travel during residency. This was approved by my PD but unfortunately my immigration situation precluded this. You fritter away the best years of your life in training.
While you should certainly try to get the most out of your training by reading widely, getting good therapy supervision, getting diverse training experiences etc, remember residency is only the beginning of your training. Great physicians continue learning as a lifelong endeavor. I learned a ton in my first year as an attending, and continue to learn things at a slower pace today.
While you should certainly try to get the most out of your training by reading widely, getting good therapy supervision, getting diverse training experiences etc, remember residency is only the beginning of your training. Great physicians continue learning as a lifelong endeavor. I learned a ton in my first year as an attending, and continue to learn things at a slower pace today.
- Mar 13, 2012
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I will preface with I'm still in training, but maybe further along and with some moonlighting experience.
If you haven't done this already, learn how to eat healthfully, exercise regularly, and in general try to determine the type of person you want to be on this Earth. You create a lot of habits in residency, and you're probably working longer hours than you will in the future. If you can solidify good habits and qualities, it'll really help you maintain them. Its currently what I'm working on.
If you haven't done this already, learn how to eat healthfully, exercise regularly, and in general try to determine the type of person you want to be on this Earth. You create a lot of habits in residency, and you're probably working longer hours than you will in the future. If you can solidify good habits and qualities, it'll really help you maintain them. Its currently what I'm working on.
I wish I didn't buy so many clothes and shoes. I should have put all that money into TQQQ instead.
I would have started having children later, probably during 3rd or 4th year. I love my kids, but starting during intern year affected my ability to be a good resident and certain rotations definitely affected my ability to be there for my family as much as I wanted.
I might've picked a different residency program. Something I only picked up on much later on. The program I attended provided me several non-academic benefits like really good free food (it was in Atlantic City and the hotel had casino quality food, and it was free for residents), it was close enough to my parents so I could go to their place and see them when I wanted, but far enough away so they wouldn't bug me, but I felt opportunities for research were almost non-existent, ER docs, and the ER psych nursing staff tried to bully attendings and residents, the ER psych attendings were weak (had they not been weak the ER docs and ER psych nurses wouldn't try to bully them).
When I worked at U of Cincinnati, first as a fellow, later as an attending, I was working with and next to top people in the field, and seeing top quality work from the best, while in residency while some psychiatrists were good they weren't major league good, and some were just terrible.
When I worked at U of Cincinnati, first as a fellow, later as an attending, I was working with and next to top people in the field, and seeing top quality work from the best, while in residency while some psychiatrists were good they weren't major league good, and some were just terrible.