Suggestions on how to polish up

[drtx]

Hi guys,

I am returning back to 3rd year of residency after 2 years in the lab. I haven't rounded on a service or touched a patient in the past 2 years and am starting to freak out a little bit. Does anyone have some helpful ideas on the best, most practical way to get myself back in the game?

An example of myself from day to day as the time comes near:
"Maybe I should read Cameron"
"Maybe I should remind myself all the different surgical tools/types of sutures used for common procedures"
"Maybe I should practice dictating a case"

And yet here I sit, overwhelmed doing squat. Super.

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[Blade28]

Yikes! You didn't moonlight at all during your two lab years?

I was also worried that I'd be rusty but moonlighting helped me keep up SOME of my clinical skills. My technical skills are going to be a little rusty as well, but at least I've been doing lung transplants in rats!

 

[opr8n]

i havent worked in the last year and im going back on sat

kinda worried
missed pt care
but oh god
call again!!

 

[drtx]

Yes, I am pretty freaked out. I'm gonna get hammered for the first few months. At least I start back on Pedi which is a rotation I did as a second year at the program I used to be a resident at prior to my 2 yrs of research. Hernias, myotomies, I have my numbers so working on the kiddos is a good way to get back in the swing of it.

I just don't want to be left to "finish a case" for the first 4-5 mos. I am RUSTY and I don't have to remind myself how crazy and painful the month of July can be when I am going to be trying to show the 'terns how to write an order I can't even remember myself. I can already see me saying "Do you have your pocketbook reference, I lost my 5th on yesterday- right next to my mind that I still haven't been able to find that I lost the first day back"

Yep. I'm just bracing myself.

 

[njbmd]

Hi guys,

I am returning back to 3rd year of residency after 2 years in the lab. I haven't rounded on a service or touched a patient in the past 2 years and am starting to freak out a little bit. Does anyone have some helpful ideas on the best, most practical way to get myself back in the game?

An example of myself from day to day as the time comes near:
"Maybe I should read Cameron"
"Maybe I should remind myself all the different surgical tools/types of sutures used for common procedures"
"Maybe I should practice dictating a case"

And yet here I sit, overwhelmed doing squat. Super.

When I was in the lab, I read Cameron at least twice and Sabiston once over the course of the year. The lab was where I had plenty of time to catch up and get ahead on my reading.

You may want to take a Microsurgery course if your institution has one (and you have the time) or call one of the chiefs and ask if you can round with them a couple of time each week. If you are starting July 1st, you are pretty late at this point but start somewhere. When we were in the lab, we still took call over some holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year) so that our clinical skills didn't totally rust. Some folks did some moonlighting but I didn't want to risk malpractice at that stage of the game.

 

[drtx]

I definitely did a lot of reading in Sabiston and ACS, but realistically speaking, I was just looking for some clever suggestions from people who had been in somewhat similar situations and wanted to know what they did during their time in the lab.

I had a great experience doing research (it really did keep me busy) and would recommend it to anyone it would benefit in the future. It helped me get the spot I got right now...but the time is coming soon, and I was just looking for, as I stated above, something really clever and cool that I hadn't thought of. Anyway-take care, I won't have time to cruise on this website after a few more days!