Tips for starting residency

Started by blatauthoshunt42
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blatauthoshunt42

Full Member
2+ Year Member
Starting a categorical residency position where the first year is IM, but my medical knowledge foundation Is shaky.

anyone have any tips, resources, or topics I could read up on prior to starting?
 
blatauthoshunt42 said:
Starting a categorical residency position where the first year is IM, but my medical knowledge foundation Is shaky.

anyone have any tips, resources, or topics I could read up on prior to starting?
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You all start at the same place. Don’t worry about it.

Do your work. Don’t make waves. Read on stuff that you need to refresh on and stuff you’re interested in.
 
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This was invaluable during my medicine sub-I and internship. We didn’t have Uptodate back then but it would be useful too.
 
Medical knowledge is important, but people won’t remember you for knowing the mechanism of action of acetazolamide. They will remember whether you were amiable, available, enthusiastic, cared about helping patients, went the extra mile for the team, showed up early, stayed late, remained humble, and showed up every day looking to get better
 
Do a deep dive into investments and personal money management. Much harder to do and set that foundation once you start intern year. It'll set you up well from the very beginning. And go see some mountains, get outside.
 
I did an IM intern year as well. They know this isn’t your career. Just be a good employee and easy to work with. Stay off the radar and just get the work done. Then move on.

As a side note a lot of the medicine stuff ends up being relevant to anesthesia and especially the boards so not a complete waste of time. We take care of patients with htn, dm, chf, ESRD, etc so having experience with managing/understanding these conditions is helpful.
 
My lessons from night call:

Hyperactive delirium: 2.5 IM zyprexa up to 2 doses

Hypoxia: CXR, oxygen, ABG, nebs, lasix…. Shotgun approach, fixes most hypoxia, and of course listen to the back and evaluate

AF RVR: 5 mg IV lopressor or 10 mg IV dilt, but don’t forget to give 12.5 - 25 mg oral lopressor after or you’ll be back in an hour with RVR.

HTN: give amlodipine, or else you’ll keep getting called, or simply tell them to let it ride
 
When at VA, don’t give Benadryl to old men so they can sleep. It’s an antihistamine as well as an anticholinergic.
They won’t be able to urinate for a while and you’ll be the reason they need bladder scans and a foley.
 
Know your role and shut your mouth 😜

Don't be a millennial watching the clock and looking to race out the door or take offense when being taught anything. Being easy going, humble, inquiring, and motivated will win brownie points. Todays culture of wokeness and cancelling anyone who comes in their way is making it's way into medicine so teaching is turning into a challenge
 
Get the Sanford Guide for ID. It will give you all the answers for antibiotics. Other than that, show up, shut up, put up. Get through the year. When you become a CA-1, finish your cases (especially interesting ones). If it was a difficult intubation and the patient is sick, dont accept relief. Stay to finish the case and transport to ICU. There is a ton to learn and the attendings will think you are SOOO dedicated. Dont stay around for a davinci hysterectomy than is in hour 7 and they are trying to identify the ureters.
 
2Fast2Des said:
Know your role and shut your mouth 😜

Don't be a millennial watching the clock and looking to race out the door or take offense when being taught anything. Being easy going, humble, inquiring, and motivated will win brownie points. Todays culture of wokeness and cancelling anyone who comes in their way is making it's way into medicine so teaching is turning into a challenge
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Yes Sir, this is the reason I no longer teach medical students.
 
KetamineForAll said:
Get the Sanford Guide for ID. It will give you all the answers for antibiotics.
Click to expand...
I had an old Irish ICU attending in residency. He hated the Sanford Guide. Always told us his greatest fear was that one day he'd be sick in an ICU, and he see an intern roll up with a Sanford Guide in hand, and in that thick Irish accent he'd say, "and then I know I'm fooked."
 
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