Shadowing an ED doc... good questions to ask?

[fiznat]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I work full time as a paramedic and am applying to medical schools this next time around. I have been interested in learning more about the "day to day" of an emergency physician, so I arranged a few shadowing shifts with my medical control doc.

He knows me well enough (I'm hoping maybe I can get a recc letter out of him) and I know my way around the ED more or less. What I was hoping you guys could help me out with is maybe a few good questions I can ask about this guy's daily work as an ED doc. What are some common stressors on the job? What frustrates you, what keeps you going? What do you spend most of your time doing? I want to ask these types of questions but maybe you guys can help out with how I can make them better pointed, and get the best answers possible. Heads up about any potential pitfalls, how to best stay out of his way/not piss him off would also be helpful.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[deleted109597]

Don't ask leading questions like "Do you ever wonder what happens to people you have admitted?" Hopefully, we all do, but unfortunately we can't ever turn the fire hydrant of new people to worry about off. Also, don't ever mention triage.

Most people wouldn't care if you ask basic questions like "what is your favorite/least favorite part of EM?" "Where do you see it going in 5/10/20 years?", "If you could design your own personal perfect ED, what would it encompass?"

 

[GeneralVeers]

"What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

 

[kajunman]

Is that an African or an European swallow?????

"What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?"

 

[quideam]

Why, I dont know..... ARGH!!!

😀

 

[Aloha Kid]

If you get to see some cool cases, then awesome, you'll get to see a lot and ask a lot of pertinent questions. Time will flow quickly and you probably won't have any problems.

If it's busy, don't feel as though he/she is ignoring you. Continue to show interest and be careful with overburdening questions and too many questions. This can really kill everything. Just read the doc and know how much is too much to ask. In general, if the doc asks you if you have any questions, then that means they would like you to ask more or they would like to teach more but are unsure what to teach.

Introduce yourself to everyone, be friendly, introduce yourself to the nurses as well, and then they will be more cooperative with showing you things as well as not question who you are when you tag along with the doc.

Don't forget to be interested in the run of the mill things such as chest pain. Simple comments like, "I don't think this is dissection, PE, but could be anginal - is that what you were thinking?" May stimulate the doc and actually help him by refining his decision process. Every ED doc is deciding what to do from when they first meet the patient.

You have paramedic training. You essentially can talk the same lingo as the doc. If possible and you are comfortable, your focus should now be more picking out key history and exam findings, Differential Diagnosis, Labs, and how to treat, and then a general disposition. If you keep 3x5 cards with you and for every patient you see, do this on your own (have columns written out, Hx/PE, DDX, Labs, Tx, and Dispo) and ask questions to guide you along you will learn a lot and the Doc will probably be very impressed.

 

[PacoX]

I'd quiz him on the relative merits of SRs vs. KA-Ts.

 

[leviathan]

Obama or McCain? 🙄

 

[bartleby]

Number one question an ED Doc on shift wants to hear from someone shadowing him/her:

"Is there anything I can do to help out?"

You will be remembered and appreciated.

 

[leviathan]

"Aren't you guys just like glorified triage nurses?"

If you ask that, it will really give him a warm special feeling about you in his heart.