Stuff that Sucks...

[JackBauERfan]

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OPTIONAL...YOU WROTE OPTIONAL

They may offer 16,000 4th years at US Allopathic schools the option of taking the ~$1000 exam? That stands to reason... I mean why require the exam and rake in ~$16,000,000 when we could make it optional. LOL... YOU WROTE OPTIONAL

They are going to give up ~$16,000,000 like Jack Bauer is going to give up nuclear launch codes. 😎 😎 NEVER!!!

I agree about jack bauer. NEVER.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Hence the quotes.. Clearly, NO ONE will take it.. Our school has a required one we had to take and it was supposed to simulate a 1/2 day at the CS our class avg was like 83 and I got like an 89... I will say though I will be a little nervous until I get that "pass" in the mail..

 

[colforbinMD]

I have been to didactics for about 8 different programs and many times for some of them. Only 1 programs conferences felt like medical school and that program is suffering on my ROL because of this (and other reasons) Most of the time the material is relevant, the presenters funny/entertaining, and best of all reguardless of if it is supposed to be an interactive session (many are) the cracks from the peanut gallery often make it hilarious. I am sure after 3-4 years of it I won't find it QUITE so entertaining but to say it's like medical school lectures is just not true.

 

[USAF MD '05]

I have been to didactics for about 8 different programs and many times for some of them. Only 1 programs conferences felt like medical school and that program is suffering on my ROL because of this (and other reasons) Most of the time the material is relevant, the presenters funny/entertaining, and best of all reguardless of if it is supposed to be an interactive session (many are) the cracks from the peanut gallery often make it hilarious. I am sure after 3-4 years of it I won't find it QUITE so entertaining but to say it's like medical school lectures is just not true.

You are probably right. We usually do have good lectures. My ass and in a seat for 5 hours at a time don't mix well though, no matter how relevant. Steve

 

[whasupmd2]

"scores that predict a 1.5x greater chance of failure on the ABEM written. That's an actual score rather than a percentile."

-What score is that exactly?
-What score is passing on the real thing?

Thanks!

 

[quideam]

Learning how to do a pelvic on V-day. How inappropriate is that? :cry:

 

[SoCuteMD]

Learning how to do a pelvic on V-day. How inappropriate is that? :cry:

Did you read White Coat by Ellen (?) Rothman? I think she talked about learning the pelvic and the prostate exams on V-day.

For me today is the same as yesterday and tomorrow, so it really wouldn't matter!

 

[quideam]

No, that's what I had to do today 🙁 . I swear, our "clinical skills" course coordinators have a sick sense of humor...

 

[SoCuteMD]

I knew you meant that you had to do that, I was just pointing out the irony. Hope you have a good night to make up for it!

 

[quideam]

And I'll add: Having your fiancee all the way across the country on V-day (and having not seen him in six weeks...). Ok, time to go eat some chocolate 😀

 

[SoCuteMD]

At least you HAVE a fiance!!

 

[Apollyon]

Did you read White Coat by Ellen (?) Rothman? I think she talked about learning the pelvic and the prostate exams on V-day.

For me today is the same as yesterday and tomorrow, so it really wouldn't matter!

Reminds me of when I was a student (oh, so many years ago!!) on my surgery rotation as an MS3 - it was one of the first days of the rotation, and the director had a very dry sense of humor. We we scrubbed into a hemorrhoidectomy, and the rectal speculum had just been placed, and he says, as he grabs one of the 'roids with a clamp, "Happy Valentie's day, everyone".

Hell, it was funnier to be there, 'cause this pt's 'roids were HUGE.

 

[JackBauERfan]

Today I had two run-ins of something that sucks:

People with small cars that park way into the space, creating the illusion that a space for my SUV is available. When attempting to go in, you see it is a small car, making you reverse and go look for another one.

 

[Jeff698]

Yes, the RRC-EM requires that residencies have at least 5 hours of didactics weekly, that residents must be released form clinical duties to attend and that residents must attend 70%.

Stuff that sucks...conflicting rules.

I just love the part where the 70% rule conflicts with the work hours rules. If I'm post-call during conference the work hours rule says I can't attend (assuming it would put me past the 24+6 hours which it would, of course). I end up being required to take vacation in order to maintain my 70%. Either that or just go to conference and overlook the work hours violation.

Fortunately, this is only an issue during intern year for us and hasn't come up for me yet. Since I'll finish the last call night of my ENTIRE CAREER in April, it probably won't.

Take care,
Jeff

 

[Jeff698]

People with small cars that park way into the space, creating the illusion that a space for my SUV is available.

Speaking of parking suckiness...

The geniuses in Austin decided many years ago that they wanted to foster conservation and felt they should creative incentives for people to drive small (presumably more fuel efficient) cars. They past an ordenance that required all new buildings to make some huge percentage of their parking spots, and all of the up close spots, micro-sized.

The result? SUVs parked across three micro-sized spots. Like any Texan would give up our SUV for something so silly as a parking spot. Hell, we bougth the damn things so we could drive over small buildings (just in case, mind you), what makes 'em thing the silly little yellow lines would bother us?

Take care,
Jeff

 

[colforbinMD]

Insomnia.

 

[BKN]

"scores that predict a 1.5x greater chance of failure on the ABEM written. That's an actual score rather than a percentile."

-What score is that exactly?
-What score is passing on the real thing?

Thanks!

I forget, but the results that the program gets includes a chart showing the proportion passing their part 1 based on scores at EM1-3 in training based on the previous 10 years' results. It's something like 60-65 at EM1 and somewhat higher in later years.

The score for passing the Boards part 1 is 75. Pass rate for residency trained candidates has been about 90% for a long time.

 

[Jeff698]

Pass rate for residency trained candidates has been about 90% for a long time.

Who else has been taking it since the 'practice track' closed years ago?

Take care,
Jeff

 

[Jeff698]

Take a look in the back of this week's JAMA.

There is a recruitment ad for an ED medical director for a small East Texas community hospital (one that I've worked in during my family medicine rotations in school). It says this person will be practicing EM and overseeing the EM mid-levels.

Requirements?

An MD degree and completion of an INTERNAL MEDICINE residency.

WTF? We're not talking about settling for a non-EM trained person here. They're specifically recruiting them to the exclusion of physicians specifically trained in the specialty.

Talk about Stuff that Sucks!

BTW, also in that edition is a largely positive review of Dr. Zink's book on the history of EM. Maybe this last part should go in the Stuff that Doesn't Suck thread.

Take care,
Jeff

 

[SoCuteMD]

Returning to the topic of stuff that sucks:

PMS

 

[SoCuteMD]

Oh, and to add to the list.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the family I babysit for fired me or found another sitter or something. I don't even care about the loss of income (ok, I do, that money helped a lot). I adored the whole family and especially the kids. The kids (3 of them) were the absolute perfect ages and the mom made things so easy for me. She was always so complimentary of me and how I handled the kids, I really didn't see this coming. The dad was cool too, and we bonded over sports! I always gave the kids 100% of my attention and tried to put any negative feelings from the other parts of my life aside when I was there.

🙁

 

[BKN]

Who else has been taking it since the 'practice track' closed years ago?

Take care,
Jeff

People who never passed from practice track 😡 Also, I believe there was a way for academic internists to do it for a while. I think that closed also.

 

[SoCuteMD]

Oh, and to add to the list.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the family I babysit for fired me or found another sitter or something. I don't even care about the loss of income (ok, I do, that money helped a lot). I adored the whole family and especially the kids. The kids (3 of them) were the absolute perfect ages and the mom made things so easy for me. She was always so complimentary of me and how I handled the kids, I really didn't see this coming. The dad was cool too, and we bonded over sports! I always gave the kids 100% of my attention and tried to put any negative feelings from the other parts of my life aside when I was there.

🙁

The mom called me today. All is well 🙂.

Soooo relieved, they really are like my extended family!

 

[roja]

Seeing 26 patients in 7 hours plus supervising the 10 my intern saw. Did I mention it was an overnight????????????????

 

[streetdoc]

Standardized patients!
where do they get these people??? I was asked what palpation and auscultation were by my "patient" as they read off a list. 🙄

I also had one tell me she didn't think I did a good job explaining bipolar symptoms (specifically talking fast and staying up for days on end) becasue she is from "up north and we all talk fast" and she "stayed up like that all the time in high school." Than I believe YOU ARE BIPOLAR MA'AM! now go back, yankee!

 

[GeneralVeers]

Arbitrary "competency curriculum" in medical school sucked. We had 9 competencies, each of which required some extra project or assignment to pass, yet contributed nothing to my medical training.

 

[a_ditchdoc]

Everytime I read the title of this thread I have flashbacks of something that happened some time ago...

Getting smacked squarely in the right gonad with a paintball going over 200 mph is most certainly in the category of "things that suck".

 

[Jeff698]

Getting smacked squarely in the right gonad with a paintball going over 200 mph is most certainly in the category of "things that suck".

Here I was about to mention how much it sucks that my bank account is now $635 lighter after registering for Step III finally. Then I read your post.

My friend, you have officially taken the "stuff that sucks" lead with that story. I'm feeling slightly sick even reading it.

Ouch.

Take care,
Jeff

 

[GeneralVeers]

Stuff that sucks: Any obese intoxicated homeless patient complaining of blood in stool. You know what has to follow......

 

[JackBauERfan]

Stuff that sucks: Any obese intoxicated homeless patient complaining of blood in stool. You know what has to follow......

Nope, Paintball to the testicle still has the lead in my books too. good try though, even if its coming at you at 50 mph...

 

[GeneralVeers]

Nope, Paintball to the testicle still has the lead in my books too. good try though, even if its coming at you at 50 mph...

I can beat that. Not matching last year. Seriously contemplated suicide until I got the scramble phone call.

I'd much rather have 100 paintballs to the nuts, than not match.

 

[colforbinMD]

I can beat that. Not matching last year. Seriously contemplated suicide until I got the scramble phone call.

I'd much rather have 100 paintballs to the nuts, than not match.

Is that an option? SIGN ME UP!

 

[EctopicFetus]

Veers was it because you didnt rank enough places?

 

[JackBauERfan]

I can beat that. Not matching last year. Seriously contemplated suicide until I got the scramble phone call.

I'd much rather have 100 paintballs to the nuts, than not match.

that would not be fun either....

 

[deuist]

Not getting into medical school the first time I applied sucked.

 

[EctopicFetus]

deuist.. i agree.. what sux even more is having to basically end up in ONE city the 2nd time you applied.. but it worked out..😀

 

[DropkickMurphy]

Vomiting up about 100cc of blood and then getting rushed to the hospital by ambulance (staffed by an EMT-P whose Basic EMT class you helped teach), then getting a blood transfusion in the ER after your Hgb comes back at a healthy 6.9, and an immediate GI consult for endoscopy sucks. Bleeding ulcers really blow.

What a lousy night.....last night at around 9:15 pm; they finally let me come home around 2 today after two units of blood.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Jesus how did you get the ulcer?

 

[DropkickMurphy]

How do you think?

 

[JackBauERfan]

How do you think?

In Singapore, Indians have a higher prevalence of H. pylori antibodies but a lower frequency of peptic ulcer than the Chinese .

Isnt' that AMAZING.

 

[BKN]

Vomiting up about 100cc of blood and then getting rushed to the hospital by ambulance (staffed by an EMT-P whose Basic EMT class you helped teach), then getting a blood transfusion in the ER after your Hgb comes back at a healthy 6.9, and an immediate GI consult for endoscopy sucks. Bleeding ulcers really blow.

What a lousy night.....last night at around 9:15 pm; they finally let me come home around 2 today after two units of blood.

Glad you made it. Take it easy.

 

[EctopicFetus]

How do you think?

Women? Stress?

I guess # 1.. Jeesh.. Good luck.. take care of yourself..

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'd guess both of the above. Although my addiction to spicy foods probably didn't help.

Thanks for the well wishes BKN.

 

[colforbinMD]

Women? Stress?


Is there a difference?

 

[SoCuteMD]

Ok, so color me clueless, but I thought the point of that whole Nobel Prize (this year?) was that women/stress don't cause ulcers - H. pylori does?

 

[bugmenot]

house cases

 

[a_ditchdoc]

Ok, so color me clueless, but I thought the point of that whole Nobel Prize (this year?) was that women/stress don't cause ulcers - H. pylori does?

Once again someone comes along and tries to destroy a beautiful theory with an ugly little fact...sheesh. Do you think a tiny little bacterium can do something that a woman can't? I didn't think so...

 

[SoCuteMD]

This is true. I should not underestimate my own gender 🙂.

 

[BKN]

I'd guess both of the above. Although my addiction to spicy foods probably didn't help.

Thanks for the well wishes BKN.

spicy food is good for your stomach, see:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...t_uids=7895549&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum

We actually see very few ulcers here in North Mexico. Gall bladder disease is huge.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'm printing that out and showing it to my gastroenterologist. He told me today that I was on a bland diet for an indeterminate amount of time. I told him that he should just go ahead and shoot me in the head.

God bless you BKN.....PM me your address- you're on my Christmas card list from here on out