Ugh! Shadowing all over again!

[yamaniakit]

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Just started a 4 week ophtho rotation and I felt like I was shadowing back in first and second year. I considered running out of the building screaming at the top of my lungs, but instead I'm going to repeatedly hit my head into the wall everyday when I get home! 😡 😱

 

[Hard24Get]

Just started a 4 week ophtho rotation and I felt like I was shadowing back in first and second year. I considered running out of the building screaming at the top of my lungs, but instead I'm going to repeatedly hit my head into the wall everyday when I get home! 😡 😱

oh no! Can you ask for more responsibility? I did an optional experience like that with a dermatologist, went twice, and then begged out. Shadowing is the WORST!!! 😴

 

[sophiejane]

This is actually something I've been wondering about too. It seems like the best way to do those specialty rotations might be at a residency program, and follow the residents. In a private office, there really isn't much they can delegate. The best case scenario might be that they let you interview the patient and do the initial exam, then present, but that takes a lot more time and most specialists seem to have pretty efficient schedules.

This is the reason I'm not scheduling many specialty rotations in my 4th year. I think the exception might be radiology--you could probably learn a lot following a private radiologist if they care to teach.

 

[mdphd2b]

Just started a 4 week ophtho rotation and I felt like I was shadowing back in first and second year. I considered running out of the building screaming at the top of my lungs, but instead I'm going to repeatedly hit my head into the wall everyday when I get home! 😡 😱

Dude, I know how you feel! We had a third year required clerkship in "Surgical Subspecialties"--one week each of ophtho, ENT, ortho, and urology. It was all basically glorified shadowing! Each week, I had one day in the OR and 4 days in clinic. On the clinic days, I shadowed a team of 5-7, and rarely got to see much, plus my feet would kill me, since clinic days ran 7-7 👎 ENT was the worst--I got soooooooo sick of seeing ear wax one day, I did leave early! On the OR days, I wasn't allowed to scrub in--so I was basically an extra student who observed everything from afar but saw nothing! In this rotation, the attendings were all non-grading, and the grade was based 100% on a departmental exam (practical and written), but I doubt our practical grades were that great--since all we did was shadow! What a waste 😡

 

[4424]

Just started a 4 week ophtho rotation and I felt like I was shadowing back in first and second year. I considered running out of the building screaming at the top of my lungs, but instead I'm going to repeatedly hit my head into the wall everyday when I get home! 😡 😱

try getting comfortable with the slit lamp and then ask to see patients. many just assume you don't know what to do...

 

[sdnetrocks]

Same thing over here in Derm.

Kinda boring the first few days, now I don't mind it. I'm not responsible for knowing or doing anything, and my grade will come from how well the derm residents liked having me around.

So just take it easy and enjoy the month. You'll be on a SubI (and then, in the real world) soon enough....

 

[saiyagirl]

that's how i felt my first week of a four week elective in ophthalmology. i felt soooo useless...had headaches every day and felt very invisible.

but then i asked to learn how to do more, and maybe they will let you too. by the second week, i was taking histories, checking vision, and fumbling with the slit lamp. by the third week, i was also getting tonometry (using the tonopen), and getting better at the slit lamp. by the last week, i was adding applanation to my skill set, getting pachymetry's on glaucoma patients, was able to do almost the entire neuro-ophtho exam, and feeling pretty confident at using the slit lamp (at least to look at the anterior chamber. using the little lens to look at the back of the eye just made my head spin).

granted i was far from perfect at any of these skills and worked much slower than the residents, who obviously had a lot more experience doing all this. but hey! at least i was able to stay busy and be involved. tell them you want to learn how to do a good eye exam, and maybe they will help you out!

 

[yamaniakit]

The problem is it's in a private office and they're all about moving the meat. I'm going to try to change it to a 2 week rotation and do something else for 2 weeks.