Skills that all Med School graduates should possess

[Member2488]

Hey everyone! I am applying this cycle for medical school and and thinking about what clinical skills I hope my medical school will prepare me to master.

I work at a teaching hospital and see that some 4th years don't even know how to put a patient on the monitors! Others are more proactive and know how to start IV lines, do EKGs etc.

I want to go to a medical school that prepares their students to have excellent clinical skills - but what should I ask students/faculty during second look? Should all interns know how to intubate by the time they begin their R1 year, or is learned in residency?

I'm not sure if what I wrote makes sense, but if you have and suggestions or information please chime in! Cheers!

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[drscholls]

Hey everyone! I am applying this cycle for medical school and and thinking about what clinical skills I hope my medical school will prepare me to master.

I work at a teaching hospital and see that some 4th years don't even know how to put a patient on the monitors! Others are more proactive and know how to start IV lines, do EKGs etc.

I want to go to a medical school that prepares their students to have excellent clinical skills - but what should I ask students/faculty during second look? Should all interns know how to intubate by the time they begin their R1 year, or is learned in residency?

I'm not sure if what I wrote makes sense, but if you have and suggestions or information please chime in! Cheers!

This was perhaps a bit harsh. All of them should teach you to have excellent clinical skills.

 

[Barcu]

Kinda hard to come up with a complete list.

What you should do is try and talk to 3rd and 4th year students. Hear their opinions about clinical training, as many will be honest with you. Many also have friends at other schools, so they do have some points to compare (though not always reliable).

That is one of the things people applying to med schools miss: Talk to 3rd and 4th year students. If you don't see any on your interview day, try contacting the school. I was able to get some emails of 3rd and 4th year students at some schools. Especially if you have already interviewed or are accepted, most schools do a pretty good job of doing these kinds of things for you (it may be hard to do this out of the blue before you've applied). This information is more important than most things you hear on the interview day.

 

[redpanda]

I'm not in clinical years yet, so I don't know exactly which procedures medical students are doing regularly, but I do know that it takes a lot of practice to get good at intubation and airway management and medical students are not going to get that amount of practice. Also, I can't say that I think hooking people up to a monitor is much of a clinical skill.

 

[KinesiologyNerd]

Also, I can't say that I think hooking people up to a monitor is much of a clinical skill.

Yeah, this seems really nit-picky, and something that depends entirely on the individual. There are plenty of good doctors who aren't good at IVs and vice versa.

 

[MedPR]

Sarcasm imo

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[RySerr21]

Hey everyone! I am applying this cycle for medical school and and thinking about what clinical skills I hope my medical school will prepare me to master.

I work at a teaching hospital and see that some 4th years don't even know how to put a patient on the monitors! Others are more proactive and know how to start IV lines, do EKGs etc.

I want to go to a medical school that prepares their students to have excellent clinical skills - but what should I ask students/faculty during second look? Should all interns know how to intubate by the time they begin their R1 year, or is learned in residency?

I'm not sure if what I wrote makes sense, but if you have and suggestions or information please chime in! Cheers!

the reality is that 4th years arent good at 'putting patients on monitors' because that is not a job you will ever have to do. You might not ever learn where to place leads on an EKG because there are technicians whose jobs are to place the leads and obtain an EKG...if you graduated from medical school and said "hey i dont knkow how to read an EKG but if you want i can place the stickers on for you" people would look at you like you were crazy...but as you said its all about how pro active you are. If thats something you want to learn how to do, you just have to be there when they do it. If you volunteer at a student run clinic, they will likely have an EKG and then you'll be the one doing it. If you want to learn how to get at IVs then you likely need to volunteer for a procedure shift and hang out with the nurses (they are the ones that put in IVs, not typically the residents/doctors). Sure it might be helpful once in a while if you need to put in an IV real quick and no one is around, but the reality is that that is not a common occurrence and the nurses and people around you are going to be way better than you at doing that kidn of stuff.

i think you are on the right track by being concerned about being clinically well trained, but maybe just a little off on what is actually an important skill to have(which is fine, you arent a med student or a resident so why would you know that...). I think best thing you can do is just talk to 4th years and residnets if you can and just ask them in general how prepared they were clinically coming out of med school and then based on their answers youll learn what is actually important

 

[KnuxNole]

During my rotations, the nurses or EKG techs usually take care of setting patients up for EKGs

Knowing how to do IVs is IMO a decent skill to learn. It's not a big necessity, but if you're on call and there is a hard stick, the nurses will page you faster than they leave for a smoke break in the day. Emergency medicine rotations and ICU rotations are the best for this. I would say knowing how to suture is key. Its not something that only physicians in surgical fields should know. I know there are some more to add as far as "key minor procedures" but I'm drawing a blank.

As far as what to ask, if they have active roles in their 3rd/4th year. Shadowing a doc the whole time = bad. Seeing patients yourself, making a differential and plan, writing notes = good. The most important clinical skill to learn is taking a good history and coming up with management plans! Ask what kinds of procedures and how often they have a chance to do them. Although it's rotation dependent, there are things which every med student should try at least a few times. Ex: Vaginal deliveries, OB ultrasounds, pelvic exams, suturing.

 

[CyclistOK]

Medical school is what you make of it. I could have gone my entire medical school career without doing a single procedure if I wanted to. That being said I asked to do things when it wasn't emergent, and have gotten to do all sort of things including a guillotine BKA, I&D, D&C, thoracentesis, paracentesis, multiple caths, multiple IVs, ET tubes etc...

I guess it might vary by school but you have to show interest if you want to do things.

Oh and if you are at the VA (at least where I am), and you want your pts to have something done, you better be able to do it yourself, the nurses for some reason just won't do even the basics.

Required things to be familiar with? Deliveries, Tourniquet use, CPR, Catheters, Basic Suturing + the usuals. Our surgery rotation has a list of required procedures that you have to meet a certain amount of, which is a good way of getting less willing nurses to let you step in.

 

[DrYoda]

The clinical skills med school is supposed to give you are more along the lines of taking a good history and physical and coming up with an assessment and plan. Starting IVs I will agree is a good thing to know. If you get a chance to learn US guided IVs do it since that's probably most docs best bet to get a peripheral that a nurse can't (on the subject of IVs... the preop or ED nurses will probably let you practice those all day if you want). Hooking a patient to a monitor is not a "clinical skill" or any kind of skill really.

In my experience procedures aren't hard to get if you are assertive. The procedures are cool, but for procedure oriented specialties residency is where you truly master them.

 

[PACERS14]

some 4th years don't even know how to put a patient on the monitors! Others are more proactive and know how to start IV lines, do EKGs etc.

i actually agree with you. im almost done with third year and i have yet to put in a line, put on ekg leads, etc.

unfortunately at most big academic teaching hospitals, these tasks are done almost exclusively by nurses/nursing assistants. In fact, the hospital system i am at has an IV team that goes from floor to floor and does ALL the IVs. This tends to make a better experience for patients as the people putting in the IVs are extremely good.

im sure you can get these experiences if you really want them wherever you go. you just have to ask the nursing staff

 

[Member2488]

Also, I can't say that I think hooking people up to a monitor is much of a clinical skill.

I don't agree - all healthcare providers, including physicians, should be able to quickly and efficiently acquire a set of vital signs, especially in an emergency setting. I'm not saying that they have to place all patients on the monitor - but as leading members of the healthcare team they should be able, if appropriate and necessary, to assist with these tasks.

 

[NickNaylor]

I don't agree - all healthcare providers, including physicians, should be able to quickly and efficiently acquire a set of vital signs, especially in an emergency setting. I'm not saying that they have to place all patients on the monitor - but as leading members of the healthcare team they should be able, if appropriate and necessary, to assist with these tasks.

I understand what you're saying and applaud you for your enthusiasm, but this is just ridiculous. This is exactly why there's a tech for almost any kind of imaging/testing modality. I consider it far from a failure that I've yet to be taught how to hook a patient up to a monitor, draw blood, etc.. Sure, they're good skills to have, but those aren't generally things physicians do, at least in a hospital setting.

(sent from my phone)

 

[DrBowtie]

I don't agree - all healthcare providers, including physicians, should be able to quickly and efficiently acquire a set of vital signs, especially in an emergency setting. I'm not saying that they have to place all patients on the monitor - but as leading members of the healthcare team they should be able, if appropriate and necessary, to assist with these tasks.

I'll point you to a hospital code as an example. The leader does just that, they lead. They often don't even touch the patient. Why? Because their value is between the ears.

 

[deleted127837]

I understand what you're saying and applaud you for your enthusiasm, but this is just ridiculous. This is exactly why there's a tech for almost any kind of imaging/testing modality. I consider it far from a failure that I've yet to be taught how to hook a patient up to a monitor, draw blood, etc.. Sure, they're good skills to have, but those aren't generally things physicians do.

(sent from my phone)

Not having to do something doesn't mean you should never learn how to do something. If a physician is supposed to run the room (especially in a code) they should have at least a general idea of how to do everything that's going on in that room. That doesn't mean they need to have practiced it extensively or recently, or that they're going to actually do it ever again, but you should at least have a rough idea how.

In surgery, for example - the lead surgeon is able to perform all the vein harvests, etc., that a PA may do for them. Because the PA usually does that task doesn't mean the surgeon should never learn how to do it.

 

[Geebeejay]

I don't agree - all healthcare providers, including physicians, should be able to quickly and efficiently acquire a set of vital signs, especially in an emergency setting. I'm not saying that they have to place all patients on the monitor - but as leading members of the healthcare team they should be able, if appropriate and necessary, to assist with these tasks.

cardiac monitor =/= vital signs. Palpate a pulse. I'm not saying it's not a good "skill" to have to know lead placement, but you can't fault a doctor for not knowing how when there should be others who are around to take EKGs and fiddle with hospital-specific cardiac monitors.

 

[NickNaylor]

Not having to do something doesn't mean you should never learn how to do something. If a physician is supposed to run the room (especially in a code) they should have at least a general idea of how to do everything that's going on in that room. That doesn't mean they need to have practiced it extensively or recently, or that they're going to actually do it ever again, but you should at least have a rough idea how.

In surgery, for example - the lead surgeon is able to perform all the vein harvests, etc., that a PA may do for them. Because the PA usually does that task doesn't mean the surgeon should never learn how to do it.

Why? In the event none of the 5+ nurses within shouting distance of a patient room can't do their job?

Surgery is hardly the same as something as mundane as hooking up a monitor.

(sent from my phone)

 

[Member2488]

not having to do something doesn't mean you should never learn how to do something. If a physician is supposed to run the room (especially in a code) they should have at least a general idea of how to do everything that's going on in that room. That doesn't mean they need to have practiced it extensively or recently, or that they're going to actually do it ever again, but you should at least have a rough idea how.

In surgery, for example - the lead surgeon is able to perform all the vein harvests, etc., that a pa may do for them. Because the pa usually does that task doesn't mean the surgeon should never learn how to do it.

+ 1

 

[Member2488]

Why? In the event none of the 5+ nurses within shouting distance of a patient room can't do their job?

Surgery is hardly the same as something as mundane as hooking up a monitor.

(sent from my phone)

Nothing should be below anyone in a "team" setting - however 'mundane' the task. However, I know that the culture of medicine does not follow this ideal...

 

[MedPR]

Nothing should be below anyone in a "team" setting - however 'mundane' the task. However, I know that the culture of medicine does not follow this ideal...

I don't think anyone is saying certain tasks are below a physician (for example). However, things are much more efficient if everyone does the jobs within their pay grade/level of education. If you have physicians tied up doing the tech's job, there's nobody around that can cover the physician's job. In a "team" setting, there are people around to handle the mundane tasks so the professionals can do the difficult tasks. Everyone has to do their part and using the "team" setting as a way to justify making more-educated people do the jobs of less-educated people leads to terrible inefficiency.

In my lab, for example, I read and report gram stain results to physicians. There are employees below me who inoculate the slide and bring it to me. Even though I know how to inoculate slides, if I had to do it myself it would delay results quite a bit.

 

[DrBowtie]

Since you want legit stuff, I'll actually make a list of things that have required a doctor to do that would be useful to learn, some of these are learnable as a medical student, some not.

EJ IV - No matter how much practice you have, nurses will be better at more peripheral sticks. If a person loses access, and they cant get it, but they don't need a central line, then an EJ is good, but its unit dependant who can place them.
Central Lines - Exposure to the kit and technique is more important than mastery as a med student.
Paracentesis - Same as central line
Basic Suture skills - they come in handy for the central lines
ABGs- RT does them some places, others require MD
NG/Corpak placement
Reading the CXR post procedure to "clear" the tube for use

Maybe I'll think of more.

 

[Member2488]

I don't think anyone is saying certain tasks are below a physician (for example). However, things are much more efficient if everyone does the jobs within their pay grade/level of education. If you have physicians tied up doing the tech's job, there's nobody around that can cover the physician's job. In a "team" setting, there are people around to handle the mundane tasks so the professionals can do the difficult tasks. Everyone has to do their part and using the "team" setting as a way to justify making more-educated people do the jobs of less-educated people leads to terrible inefficiency.

In my lab, for example, I read and report gram stain results to physicians. There are employees below me who inoculate the slide and bring it to me. Even though I know how to inoculate slides, if I had to do it myself it would delay results quite a bit.

I don't disagree with you. I just want to make sure that as a medical student I am exposed to and feel comfortable performing all clinical tasks. For example, I will probably never be as good at IVs as a nurse, but I sure as hell want to feel confident placing them...

 

[NickNaylor]

I don't disagree with you. I just want to make sure that as a medical student I am exposed to and feel comfortable performing all clinical tasks. For example, I will probably never be as good at IVs as a nurse, but I sure as hell want to feel confident placing them...

Then maybe you should be a nurse?

 

[drscholls]

Then maybe you should be a nurse?

+1.

You can't do everything. You can't even be exposed to everything. Focus on the things you need for your role of care and then move out from there.

 

[deleted127837]

Why? In the event none of the 5+ nurses within shouting distance of a patient room can't do their job?

Surgery is hardly the same as something as mundane as hooking up a monitor.

(sent from my phone)

+1.

You can't do everything. You can't even be exposed to everything. Focus on the things you need for your role of care and then move out from there.

Simply put, I don't agree with the rationalizing away a responsibility to at least be familiar with all aspects of care, which as leader of a health care team is your job. Just because something is mundane doesn't mean you're entitled to be ignorant of how to do it. Why should you wait for a nurse to hear you, figure out what you want, and come fix it, when you could do it yourself (and bitch at them later)?

You're defending making yourself a less capable member of the team. Yes, you can't know everything, but the mundane things take the least time to learn.

Then maybe you should be a nurse?

Don't be rude.


Edit:

I don't think anyone is saying certain tasks are below a physician (for example). However, things are much more efficient if everyone does the jobs within their pay grade/level of education. If you have physicians tied up doing the tech's job, there's nobody around that can cover the physician's job. In a "team" setting, there are people around to handle the mundane tasks so the professionals can do the difficult tasks. Everyone has to do their part and using the "team" setting as a way to justify making more-educated people do the jobs of less-educated people leads to terrible inefficiency.

In my lab, for example, I read and report gram stain results to physicians. There are employees below me who inoculate the slide and bring it to me. Even though I know how to inoculate slides, if I had to do it myself it would delay results quite a bit.

Exactly this. You're not the best at making that slide, but you know how to inoculate them. You don't do it everyday, and may not do it ever again, but you know what's happened to the slide before it came into your possession, and could have prepared that slide (albeit inefficiently) if need be. You're able to troubleshoot the slide in case something is wrong because you know how it was put together.

I view medicine the same way. You shouldn't be doing a lot of those things. As NickNaylor said, the nurses/techs/etc. will have taken care of the monitors. But familiarity with it doesn't dictate having to do it. A patient sits up when you come in and their monitor lead pops off - how is the patient going to feel when you have to call in a nurse to put it back on?

 

[NickNaylor]

Simply put, I don't agree with the rationalizing away a responsibility to at least be familiar with all aspects of care, which as leader of a health care team is your job. Just because something is mundane doesn't mean you're entitled to be ignorant of how to do it. Why should you wait for a nurse to hear you, figure out what you want, and come fix it, when you could do it yourself (and bitch at them later)?

You're defending making yourself a less capable member of the team. Yes, you can't know everything, but the mundane things take the least time to learn.




Don't be rude.


Edit:




Exactly this. You're not the best at making that slide, but you know how to inoculate them. You don't do it everyday, and may not do it ever again, but you know what's happened to the slide before it came into your possession. I view medicine the same way. You shouldn't be doing a lot of those things. As NickNaylor said, the nurses/techs/etc. will have taken care of the monitors. But familiarity with it doesn't dictate having to do it. A patient sits up when you come in and their monitor lead pops off - how is the patient going to feel when you have to call in a nurse to put it back on?

What I am rationalizing is that there is a system for providing medical care composed of many different people, each with a distinct role in caring for a patient. There is an entire "class" of people in this system whose job is to execute physician orders. I agree that calling a nurse to put a lead back on a patient's chest is ridiculous. But the OP seems upset that you aren't going to get much if any training on things like phlebotomy, inserting IVs, and other very basic clinical tasks. You know why you don't learn that stuff? Because that isn't what a physician generally does, ESPECIALLY in an academic medical center (hint: at least seven years of your training will be performed in an academic medical center regardless of your career aspirations) where there is almost a laughable number of people caring for any one patient.

If the OP wants to be confident about doing things that are the purview of nurses, then perhaps he should be a nurse. I don't see how that's rude unless you see nurses as an inferior piece of the medical system and are offended at the prospect of "only" being a nurse.

(sent from my phone)

 

[deleted127837]

What I am rationalizing is that there is a system for providing medical care composed of many different people, each with a distinct role in caring for a patient. There is an entire "class" of people in this system whose job is to execute physician orders. I agree that calling a nurse to put a lead back on a patient's chest is ridiculous. But the OP seems upset that you aren't going to get much if any training on things like phlebotomy, inserting IVs, and other very basic clinical tasks. You know why you don't learn that stuff? Because that isn't what a physician generally does, ESPECIALLY in an academic medical center (hint: at least seven years of your training will be performed in an academic medical center regardless of your career aspirations) where there is almost a laughable number of people caring for any one patient.

If the OP wants to be confident about doing things that are the purview of nurses, then perhaps he should be a nurse. I don't see how that's rude unless you see nurses as an inferior piece of the medical system and are offended at the prospect of "only" being a nurse.

(sent from my phone)

Pretty much every school I've been to had training in phlebotomy and inserting IVs in their sim center - not required, but it was there. At Columbia we got to rotate in and watch students practicing how to do it. I'm not sure what your point is by naming things many medical students even at the highest level of school are gaining experience in.

To the rudeness: Nice attempted turnaround. It's ad hominem. They disagreed with you, and you responded by suggesting their mistake was not in the idea they postulated, but with their (pursued) station in life. You did so in such a way that recalls decades of stereotypes (and countless tropes) that you then in your turnabout tried to pin on me for finding such a manner offensive.

Anyway, gym time. I think the OP may be taking the statement too far, but I don't think the counterargument holds much water either.

 

[sinombre]

Pretty much every school I've been to had training in phlebotomy and inserting IVs in their sim center - not required, but it was there. At Columbia we got to rotate in and watch students practicing how to do it. I'm not sure what your point is by naming things many medical students even at the highest level of school are gaining experience in.

To the rudeness: Nice attempted turnaround. It's ad hominem. They disagreed with you, and you responded by suggesting their mistake was not in the idea they postulated, but with their (pursued) station in life. You did so in such a way that recalls decades of stereotypes (and countless tropes) that you then in your turnabout tried to pin on me for finding such a manner offensive. I'm disappointed, that's all.

I find this kind of humorous considering I literally learned on... a banana.
Then everyone in the class just drew on each other about 15 times.

 

[NickNaylor]

Pretty much every school I've been to had training in phlebotomy and inserting IVs in their sim center - not required, but it was there. At Columbia we got to rotate in and watch students practicing how to do it. I'm not sure what your point is by naming things many medical students even at the highest level of school are gaining experience in.

To the rudeness: Nice attempted turnaround. It's ad hominem. They disagreed with you, and you responded by suggesting their mistake was not in the idea they postulated, but with their (pursued) station in life. You did so in such a way that recalls decades of stereotypes (and countless tropes) that you then in your turnabout tried to pin on me for finding such a manner offensive.

Anyway, gym time. I think the OP may be taking the statement too far, but I don't think the counterargument holds much water either.

That wasn't an ad hominem - it's odd that you would take it that way. The OP said that he wants to be confident in a thing normally done by nurses. I suggested he go into nursing. How is that an ad hominem? I wasn't even attacking an argument OR him. Much less, how did I recall decades of sterotypes with a seven letter sentence?

Loosen up and try not to find offense where there is none.

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

Pretty much every school I've been to had training in phlebotomy and inserting IVs in their sim center - not required, but it was there. At Columbia we got to rotate in and watch students practicing how to do it. I'm not sure what your point is by naming things many medical students even at the highest level of school are gaining experience in.

To the rudeness: Nice attempted turnaround. It's ad hominem. They disagreed with you, and you responded by suggesting their mistake was not in the idea they postulated, but with their (pursued) station in life. You did so in such a way that recalls decades of stereotypes (and countless tropes) that you then in your turnabout tried to pin on me for finding such a manner offensive.

Anyway, gym time. I think the OP may be taking the statement too far, but I don't think the counterargument holds much water either.

Sweet gym reference bro.

 

[sinombre]

Sweet gym reference bro.

You're mocking someone for going to a gym? 😕

 

[calvnandhobbs68]

You're mocking someone for going to a gym? 😕

I'm mocking someone for feeling the need to let everyone know that he/she is going to the gym. You seem confused by this.

 

[sinombre]

I'm mocking someone for feeling the need to let everyone know that he/she is going to the gym. You seem confused by this.

After reading many a Bearstronaut post, I really doubt they "felt the need" to let anyone know he/she was about to go to the gym, or anything for that matter. I guess I didn't read it the same as you. It's not like they said "alright time to go to the gym and bench three plates."

 

[DocVapor]

I think that physicians should certainly know how to do the common procedures. Doesn't mean they have to be rockstars at it. Using the cardiac monitor example - it's such an easy thing to do that if a physician can't do it it's really pathetic. Plus there are problems that can occur from lazy techs, issues that happen in chaotic environments, etc, that can have real effects on the way the EKG is read. The physician needs to be able to troubleshoot from the most basic level before just assuming that what is on the monitor is both a) correct, and b) pathologic.

Now I would say that doing things like programming IV pumps (i.e. Alaris pumps) should be pretty much left to nurses, since it takes a while to get used to doing it. HOWEVER that doesn't mean a physician shouldn't be able to look at the pump and figure out that something is being pumped at 10 ml/hr instead of 5 ml/hr.

In the end physicians are the ones that are turned to when things go bad, and simply assuming that everyone below you has done their job properly when they haven't (and this happens more often than you might think) can put you in hot water. Not taking the time to learn the basics that you can check and/or fix within the amount of time it would take a nurse to walk from the desk to the room is just simple laziness.

 

[Geebeejay]

I don't agree - all healthcare providers, including physicians, should be able to quickly and efficiently acquire a set of vital signs, especially in an emergency setting. I'm not saying that they have to place all patients on the monitor - but as leading members of the healthcare team they should be able, if appropriate and necessary, to assist with these tasks.

I understand where you're coming from, and I agree that it is a good idea for doctors to at least be familiar with some of the more menial tasks around the department. Some docs do look pretty foolish when asking for an O2 Sat on a patient, and I simply walk in the room and put the probe on the patient's finger. I think it'll definitely be nice to be able to draw some blood from your stable patient and send them to the lab if you want to get things moving when the IV team is busy and all the nurses are in the middle of codes or tied up with psych patients or something...things happen. Nice thing to have these skills, but not at all necessary.

However, realize that everyone on the medical team has a role. Especially in an emergency setting (i.e. code) it is important that each member stays inside their role. It's when team members (i.e. physicians) start trying to do something outside of their roles (i.e. ekgs, start IVs) that causes codes to start going poorly because these team members are stepping on the toes and getting in the way of the people (i.e. nurses, techs) who's role it IS to do these things. You don't need to try to be the superhero in the department!

 

[tiedyeddog]

so many premeds preaching about stuff they have zero clue about.


Dr. Bowtie posted an awesome list above. You won't have time to become a superstar at every task performed in the wards and even if you did, those skills will atrophy once you never use them and you'll suck at them once you actually need to do them in residency. Let the people who do it 24/7 do it.

 

[NickNaylor]

so many premeds preaching about stuff they have zero clue about.


Dr. Bowtie posted an awesome list above. You won't have time to become a superstar at every task performed in the wards and even if you did, those skills will atrophy once you never use them and you'll suck at them once you actually need to do them in residency. Let the people who do it 24/7 do it.

But they do it on ER and Gray's Anatomy?!

(sent from my phone)

 

[tiedyeddog]

But they do it on ER and Gray's Anatomy?!

(sent from my phone)

i know right???? as a doctor you must do all tasks, ALL OF THEM!

/sarcasm

 

[KnuxNole]

A physician can hook someone onto a cardiac monitor. However, with all the ancillary staff available, most of the time it's not a necessity. The physician is busy doing other things while tasks are being done by certain people. Like others mentioned, it's nice to know how to do IVs and take vitals. At the same time, this shouldn't make or break where to go for clinical exposure. This is very, very minimal to what you actually need to learn during your clinical years.

 

[MedLyfe]

I'll point you to a hospital code as an example. The leader does just that, they lead. They often don't even touch the patient. Why? Because their value is between the ears.

While I agree that the physician should not have to perform tasks such as hooking up a patient to a monitor, I digress when you said, "They often don't even touch the patient. Why? Because their value is between the ears." If you have the time, this video is really inspiring and is a far better explanation than what I can offer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnlvwprf_c

 

[DocVapor]

While I agree that the physician should not have to perform tasks such as hooking up a patient to a monitor, I digress when you said, "They often don't even touch the patient. Why? Because their value is between the ears." If you have the time, this video is really inspiring and is a far better explanation than what I can offer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnlvwprf_c

A code situation is far different than a clinic visit or inpatient consult. A code leader shouldn't put their hands on the patient provided there are enough other providers there to cover all the necessary tasks, unless there are some seriously weird things going on.

 

[DrBowtie]

While I agree that the physician should not have to perform tasks such as hooking up a patient to a monitor, I digress when you said, "They often don't even touch the patient. Why? Because their value is between the ears." If you have the time, this video is really inspiring and is a far better explanation than what I can offer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnlvwprf_c

IN A HOSPITAL CODE. It was a very specific example.

 

[MedPR]

so many premeds preaching about stuff they have zero clue about.


Dr. Bowtie posted an awesome list above. You won't have time to become a superstar at every task performed in the wards and even if you did, those skills will atrophy once you never use them and you'll suck at them once you actually need to do them in residency. Let the people who do it 24/7 do it.

Are you a doctor? Nope.

 

[MedLyfe]

IN A HOSPITAL CODE. It was a very specific example.

My mistake. I haven't slept in a while and misinterpreted/misread your original post, so apologies. I still believe its an important video, none the less.

 

[DocVapor]

My mistake. I haven't slept in a while and misinterpreted/misread your original post, so apologies. I still believe its an important video, none the less.

I don't think anyone here will argue with you about the need for physicians to put their hands on and actually examine patients; I'm also pretty confident that most physicians would LOVE to have more time to spend with some patients (not all patients require 15 minutes, some require quite a bit more).

 

[MedLyfe]

I don't think anyone here will argue with you about the need for physicians to put their hands on and actually examine patients; I'm also pretty confident that most physicians would LOVE to have more time to spend with some patients (not all patients require 15 minutes, some require quite a bit more).

I definitely agree. It is a shame that many physicians are forced to get through as many patients as quickly as they can. It puts unwanted stress on the provider and the patient ends up with subpar care. Unfortunately, time is no longer on our sides, especially insurance companies. But that's a whole other topic of debate...

 

[tiedyeddog]

Are you a doctor? Nope.

Are you a medical student? Nope.

 

[MedPR]

Are you a medical student? Nope.

So what's your point? I have less obstacles to becoming a med student than you do to graduating from med school. Sorry brah.

 

[tiedyeddog]

So what's your point? I have less obstacles to becoming a med student than you do to graduating from med school. Sorry brah.

I am closer to being a doctor than you are, sorry pre-med brah.

 

[MedPR]

I am closer to being a doctor than you are, sorry pre-med brah.

Go on