Residency - what doing with scant free time

[ayoung45]

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During your 80 + hour weeks, are you getting any kind of fitness program in? Any social life? Dating? Regarding the last two, wouldn't it be better to socialize with other medical people? Otherwise, what do you talk about when medicine takes all your time?

What else are you doing? Do you cook (I could envision wolfing down a lot of salads/steamed brocc. and chicken breasts off the George Foreman for me)? Is your laundry way behind all the time?

I appreciate your time.

 

[Blade28]

Eat/drink/hang out with friends/coresidents when you can. Catch up on sleep. Read a little (10 pages for me) every day, if possible. Try to work out 3-4 times a week. Watch movies, catch up on TV (Tivo). Pleasure reading. Running, sports, anything to say sane!

 

[OB1🤙]

I go snowboarding every day off I get.

 

[3dtp]

I go snowboarding every day off I get.

I ski, but to get there I fly my airplane. sometimes I fly my airplane just for the heck of it. Since I've just passed the boards, I may just fly a little more. Maybe I'll even fly upside down. That's fun. Did you know that you can do things in a biplane that anything attached to the ground can't do?

 

[c.bear]

It's all about priorities and whatever you find to be important. And it is a tad of a jugling act at times....

I personally get a little more free time because I am in EM. And I am single in New York so....

My off time is spent going out (yes often with other residents), dating, and working out (approx 3 times per week). But I don't do my own laundry (I use a drop of service) and I don't cook (I eat out or at the hosp).

 

[EM_Rebuilder]

I have had a few rough months (dont we all) where it was literally wake up, drive to work, drive home, S/S/S, and go to bed...and sleep all day and do laundry that 'one day off' each week. Luckily, the worst months of residency are behind me (maybe two more 80hr+/wk months ahead) and only about 3 more months of call ever!

Otherwise....I've made a few nearby trips, done lawn work, worked on the house, met some peeps and hung out, visited some places around town, bought/sold some cars/motorhomes (family business), and even slept a few afternoons on the hammock out back. Oh yeah, went hunting a few times, and will start hitting the lake as its warming up.

 

[TRAMD]

Chillin' with the wife and kids.
Sleeping.
Reading (non-medical).
Watching movies.
Working on my house.
Playing video games.
Exercising.

In roughly that order . . .

 

[Rogue_Leader]

Just for my own edification (because I have no idea how things are going to work intern year), if you're looking to apply for fellowship in your second year, wouldn't you have to spend your day off trying to find a research mentor and then doing research on your day off? I mean, I don't know what kind of research would be amenable to being done a piece at a time for one day a week, but isn't that basically what you'd have to do?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Just for my own edification (because I have no idea how things are going to work intern year), if you're looking to apply for fellowship in your second year, wouldn't you have to spend your day off trying to find a research mentor and then doing research on your day off? I mean, I don't know what kind of research would be amenable to being done a piece at a time for one day a week, but isn't that basically what you'd have to do?

No, you could take a year or more off from clinical duties and work full time in the lab (truthfully more common in surgical specialties). Fellowships that are looking for significant research activity are generally found in fields that have access to significant research resources.

 

[Rogue_Leader]

No, you could take a year or more off from clinical duties and work full time in the lab (truthfully more common in surgical specialties). Fellowships that are looking for significant research activity are generally found in fields that have access to significant research resources.

I'm applying in IM, so I haven't heard of anyone taking a year off for research unless they've applied in so me sort of modified research pathway. So what are your average categorical IM interns without PhDs or extensive research backgrounds doing to ready themselves for 2nd year fellowship applications?

 

[gutonc]

I'm applying in IM, so I haven't heard of anyone taking a year off for research unless they've applied in so me sort of modified research pathway. So what are your average categorical IM interns without PhDs or extensive research backgrounds doing to ready themselves for 2nd year fellowship applications?

If you know the field you're interested in, get in touch w/ your new PD or chiefs after match day and let them know that you'd like some sort of rotation in that specialty early in your intern year. That way you'll be able to easily meet some faculty and get an idea of what they and others are working on research-wise. Find someone you'd be interested in working w/ and contact them ASAP (middle of intern year if possible). Most researchers have small projects (chart review, data analysis, etc) that will allow you to get published relatively easily early on w/o spending much time in a lab. Then, assuming you get elective time as a PGY2 (which you should) make sure you get it early on (July-Sept) and have a more extensive research project set up before that month starts so you can dive in and get going ASAP. It's not such a huge deal if you can't get published immediately but if you can have an abstract ready (for a local/national meeting) by the time you put in your apps in Nov/Dec you'll be doing well. It will also be good to have a LOR from that research mentor. There's no need (as you ask above) to spend your 1 day off each week doing research. You also won't get anything done so it would be a huge waste of your limited free time.

Now...back on topic for this thread...since today's my day off this week, here's my plan for today:
- Laundry (almost done)
- Cleaning the house (almost done)
- 40-ish mile bike ride (leaving in an hour or so)
- Maybe mow the 10 inches of grass out back...probably not
- Drink a couple of beers at the Lucky Lab
- Pick up my daughter at day care
- The usual night time stuff when you have a 9 month old

 

[Leukocyte]

What else are you doing?

Lets be honest guys, we all know what we do in our free time.😉

...and I would not be surprised if the ladies do it too, although not as often.

 

[Catalyst]

Lets be honest guys, we all know what we do in our free time.😉

...and I would not be surprised if the ladies do it too, although not as often.

finally, someone speaks the truth! 👍

 

[Blade28]

Lets be honest guys, we all know what we do in our free time.😉

...and I would not be surprised if the ladies do it too, although not as often.

But what are you going to do after those 5 minutes are over? 😉

 

[TRAMD]

But what are you going to do after those 5 minutes are over? 😉

30 seconds here

 

[Leukocyte]

5 minutes!? You are talking to a Masturbate-a-thon level performer, my friend.



Link removed due to explicit content

👍

 

[Blade28]

I removed the above link because it contained explicit content.