the 2011/2012 FM internship thread

[rachmoninov3]

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Congrats to all the smart, good looking peoples from the class of 2011 who matched into family medicine! This thread is for you! A place to discuss the excitement and fear that go along with July, along with all the pesky details like moving, finding a new place, graduating, etc.
Hope everyone is taking time to add some R&R into the mix besides just worry.

For me, I'm frightened, but I'm also excited. My program only does q 6 call, and has a month of clinic before we're thrown to the wolves, so I'm still more excited than scared. Though if you asked me a month ago I would have been much more scared. Also, we found a great place to buy and are in the process of trying to close...you can argue that it's not the most prudent idea, but considering the location, the land, and the fact that it's dirt cheap right now, it's my graduation present to myself. It might also be the reason that I'm more exicted than scared right now.

Please feel free to share your thoughts/fears/excitement...that is if you aren't too busy just enjoying the nothingness that is the end of Medical School!

 

[EastWestN2grt]

I start this next step in the adventure with a month of OB, and then a month of Peds. I am excited, but am definitely trying to enjoy EVERY moment prior to residency because I know its going to be a lot of work over the next few years. Signed a lease with hospital housing already, and will be leaving one NYC borough for another one in less than a month. So far I have kept the nerves at bay....dont know if that will last the closer we get. BTW, I dont know whats this about a July 1st start date, I start "orientation training" on June 23.

 

[DocYuki]

I'm feeling a healthy mix of excitement and nervous as well~ I can't believe how fast time has been flying in the last few months. The reality of being a 4th year and soon-to-be MD is really sinking in. 4th year has gone by 5x faster than the first 3 years for me, and that's probably because it has been so awesome!

I'm thrilled about my program; its a great program, unopposed, at a very new facility. Our class happens to be all MD this year, and it's a relatively small class. I got an apartment under 5 minutes away and move mid May. I have a 20-30 minute commute now (depending on traffic), so devoting only 2 miles a day to commute is going to be welcome.

We start orientation mid-late June as well. I think the 1 thing I am most anxious about is starting to finally gain the skill set needed to bridge med school with being an attending. The thing I'm most scared about is running codes 😱

 

[rachmoninov3]

Welcome DocYuki and EastWestN2grt, my soon to be fellow souls in the valley of the damned (intern year).

You guys are lucky, I still haven't heard much from my program! No idea on the start date, or the exact salary (they said it 'might' increase).

I am glad that I won't be starting with OB though! Definately think that is my weakness, so I'll be glad that I have that month of clinic before the fun really starts!

 

[thethom]

Haha don't worry, you'll be delivering babies in your sleep in no time (or at least half-asleep)!

Congrats to starting your new careers!!! I truly love what I do and I'm sure ya'll will to. No other specialty in the world can treat adults in all settings, children in all settings, and deliver babies.

 

[rachmoninov3]

Thanks for the encouragement thethom!

I've returned to the being scared about starting residency mentality. Last night I was working my lowly job as a tech/secretary/cna/sitter at a small community hospital and we get a septic older man with borderline lactate receiving a total of 14 liters of fluid with maps barely in the 50s and as I'm entering the doctor's orders I just keep thinking: crap when it's me when will I start pressors? After the 14th liter and a side of calcium gluconate he was doing better by morning.
I presume it's normal to be the side of caution overtreating intern, but that's not good medicine either and it scares me that it will soon be me managing patients...I pray my upper levels are understading!

 

[thethom]

LOL yeah 14 liters huh?! I woulda dropped a central line, got a CVP, and hit the levophed after ~4-6 liters, but as an intern I wouldn't have known either! We do our ICU rotation in 2nd year and the CCM docs usually have their sepsis protocols. Its good to have an upper level in those scenarios who knows the protocols, how to put in lines, and do some CCM! Glad he did well. :-D

Best of luck and keep us updated!

 

[Seafood]

So what is everyone reading to prepare for intern year? I've been done with school for a few months and feel as if I have forgotten everything all ready.

Also, any other books people recommend purchasing?

What apps do you feel is a must to have on your phone?

 

[rachmoninov3]

Reading? Nothing. Running, fishing, moving into new house, frantically driving around a new town trying to find a supermarket that carries masa?...pretty much the last two weeks.
Yes, I do get a little worried when I forget random stuff, like what those little right angled hemostats typically used in the OR "tie and a pass" are called...but I'll keep trying to chill for the last 3 weeks of normalcy before intern year begins!

 

[sarcopenia]

Greetings,

I was in your shoes not very long ago (now in my first year of practice after the ultra-short 2-year family residency in Canada).

Here are the iPhone apps I like:

Epocrates
MedCalc
Eponyms
DxSaurus / 5MCC
Stethoscope
PediSTAT
LabTests
ECG Guide
MediBabble
Perfect Wheel
MedPage
Medscape
STAT Immunization
STAT GrowthCharts
Lieberman's iRadiology Classics
Vision Test

Not sure you'll find ALL the above useful. I'm a bit of an app-*****.