Starting my first EM auditon rotation tomorrow...

[LotaPower]

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😀 and im freaking out!! 😱

well in a good way. I'm really excited but kinda nervous. I've been waiting for these next few months since as long as I can remember....Do any of the residents out there have any advice on how to do really well and secure a strong LOR? What are common mistakes done by medical students during their EM elective? What are some good ways to impress attendings and have the staff love you! 😍

please feel free to PM me if you'd like!!

I can't wait until tomorrow... I'm stoked!!

 

[anonymousEM]

To get the RNs and clerks to love you, definately nickle and dime them...add on orders one at a time about every 20 minutes, be sure to tell them how superior your training is to theirs and ask them to do a rectal temp and guaiac it on all the people you're too lazy to rectalize....

seriously, come to work interested, ask some realavant questions, take on a few patients and really follow through on them. Have a good ddx and plan before presenting to your preceptor--don't just stop at the h&p. BUT don't try to do any procedures on your own unless so instructed. Make sure you have the appropriate instruction and supervision--even if it's a procedure you're comfortable with there is much to learn about different possible techniques and danger to both you and the pt if you don't really know what you're doing. Don't bad mouth ANYONE-nurses,techs, EMS, other students, residents just don't do it at all. Read about the patients you saw that day at night if you can. Get your hands dirty and have fun.

Best of luck!

 

[kungfufishing]

Be early, pleasant, hard working, thorough, positive, and enthusiastic

 

[DrQuinn]

Treat the nurses, techs, staff, and PATIENTS with respect. We had a 4th year student who basically yelled at one of our patients, telling him he was stupid. Tsk tsk, he didn't match here.

I tell you... i've known the nurses real well for the past two years (real well especially since I was the only intern in the ED my PGY-1 year... so these nurses "grew up with me" as I proceeded in my training). You may think you know me well but I've got a lot more invested in my relationships with the nurses, so don't tell me that "this nurse is a bit$h" when in fact she may be my "body shot" partner on Fri nights.

Practice your presentation somewhere in the corner or atleast in your mind before you really do it. Be consistent and linear in your presentations... HPI, pertinent positives/negatives in history, relevent physical exam (including vitals), lab work you'd like to order, Ddx, and treatment plan. Follow through on them and ROCK IT!

Q

 

[Eme-RG-ency]

I am with you Lota. I am actually finishing up my third week of my first audition EM rotation. Here are a few tips that I picked up on over the last couple of months.

1) For the LOR: The first and biggest piece of advice is from the 2005 SAEM student symposium. That tip was to call the PD office and set up an appointment during the first few days of your rotation. During that appointment, tell the PD that you are interested in EM as a career. You should state that your goal for the month is to get a LOR or SLOR from the director him/herself and tell him/her that you also want to walk away with a great evaluation. Ask what you must do to achieve these two things. That gives the director notice to look out for you and ask about you during the month, as well as time to anticipate their letter for you. During that meeting, he/she will tell you if you need to do a ppt presentation at sometime during the month, or if you are expected to do a lot of scutwork, or if the test at the end is most important. He or she will let you know upfront what their program uses to evaluate students. This is a little intimidating, but I did it and thought it was helpful.

2) I agree with everything above about being an "impressive" student in the ED. I will add something else I picked up along the way. Be very thorough with your H&P and have a working ddx, but learn to develop a "Silver Platter Statement" for each patient. One or two sentences suming up whats wrong with the patient. Say that first, then go from there. "Pt is a 39 year old female in no acute distress presenting with RUQ pain x 4 days." From there, present any PE or Hx relating to that concern, then everything else.

Hope these tips help if you didnt already know them. I am sure you are going to do great!