What is the best way to brush up on IM before intern year?

[Solara]

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Since Nov of last year, all my remaining med school rotations have/will be largely non-clinical (such as research, rotations in Asia). I have a good knowledge base (scored 95th percentiles on both Steps), but I am going to be incredibly rusty given that intern year will be my first time in a hospital in all of 2017.

I was thinking maybe reading through Master the Boards (for Step 3), perhaps reading through my old Step 2 UWorld notes. Obviously I'll enjoy my vacation before intern year (backpacking Peru for a few weeks and all), but I want to use at least use a few hours each day for the two weeks before intern year and brush up on basics. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can use to brush up? Nothing too dense like Step up to Medicine. I want something concise enough for someone like me who's demonstrated good mastery in the past but will be clearly rusty with the knowledge base.

 

[Raryn]

Since Nov of last year, all my remaining med school rotations have/will be largely non-clinical (such as research, rotations in Asia). I have a good knowledge base (scored 95th percentiles on both Steps), but I am going to be incredibly rusty given that intern year will be my first time in a hospital in all of 2017.

I was thinking maybe reading through Master the Boards (for Step 3), perhaps reading through my old Step 2 UWorld notes. Obviously I'll enjoy my vacation before intern year (backpacking Peru for a few weeks and all), but I want to use at least use a few hours each day for the two weeks before intern year and brush up on basics. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can use to brush up? Nothing too dense like Step up to Medicine. I want something concise enough for someone like me who's demonstrated good mastery in the past but will be clearly rusty with the knowledge base.

Don't worry about it.

Really.

You'll be an idiot your first few weeks. It's OK. That knowledge is there in the back of your mind. Assuming you can follow instructions and take a history, the rest will come.

 

[CatFactorial]

This past August, a non-categorical intern was pulled from her wards team because the program deemed her unsafe to care for patients (true story).

This basically allowed that team to tell CatFactorial "Nah, bro" whenever he tried to transfer patients out of the ICU. He was not pleased. Don't be that intern. Don't go to Peru.

Addendum go to Peru if you want. Just be sure you know how to write notes and follow basic instructions. Those conditions weren't met by that intern.

 

[drfunktacular]

non-categorical intern

I think I found the problem

 

[cbrons]

This past August, a non-categorical intern was pulled from her wards team because the program deemed her unsafe to care for patients (true story).

This basically allowed that team to tell CatFactorial "Nah, bro" whenever he tried to transfer patients out of the ICU. He was not pleased. Don't be that intern. Don't go to Peru.

Addendum go to Peru if you want. Just be sure you know how to write notes and follow basic instructions. Those conditions weren't met by that intern.

Curious if you have the full story. What type of things would she do to raise alarm on her incompetence?

 

[CatFactorial]

Curious if you have the full story. What type of things would she do to raise alarm on her incompetence?

I wasn't on the team so I don't have direct knowledge. I just knew they were almost immediately understaffed and that the senior was doing both the pulled intwrn's work as well as managing the team.

Apparently it was really galling stuff. No knowledge of how to place an order or even an inkling of which orders to place. Apparently the clinical experience she had amounted to shadowing, no actual work up of patients.

I am generally curmudgeonly and was looking for a outlet but in seriousness I doubt the OP will run into any issue.

 

[cbrons]

Apparently the clinical experience she had amounted to shadowing, no actual work up of patients.

Interesting you say that...

A lot of US medical schools these days are restricting medical students to shadowing only, even in 3rd year clerkships. At some places, they can't even write real notes, much less pend orders.

I've had three separate attendings in my 4th year tell me that more interns in recent years have exceptionally clueless about how to do basic things. They attribute this in large part to the pushing students further and further away from direct patient care.

Sent from my SM-N910P using SDN mobile

 

[dfib slim]

At some places, they can't even write real notes

I thought this was because med student notes don't count for billing purposes, even if the attending writes an addendum and co-signs it.

 

[DrSnips]

I thought this was because med student notes don't count for billing purposes, even if the attending writes an addendum and co-signs it.

True, but if my resident cosigns the med student note, and then I cosign the resident note, the resulting noteception is somehow billable.

 

[Raryn]

True, but if my resident cosigns the med student note, and then I cosign the resident note, the resulting noteception is somehow billable.

For us, it's only if the medical student writes the note in the physicians name. We have a mode where the medical student can, instead of "authoring" a note, "transcribe" it. It buries the medical students name and they're "acting as a scribe" for the resident (or attending) meaning the whole note counts.

 

[DrSnips]

For us, it's only if the medical student writes the note in the physicians name. We have a mode where the medical student can, instead of "authoring" a note, "transcribe" it. It buries the medical students name and they're "acting as a scribe" for the resident (or attending) meaning the whole note counts.

That makes more sense than what I described so it will never catch on in my hospital.

 

[SilentCool]

I'll enjoy my vacation before intern year (backpacking Peru for a few weeks and all), but I want to use at least use a few hours each day for the two weeks before intern year and brush up on basics. Does anyone have any ideas of what I can use to brush up?

The most useful thing you could do is to practice going for days without sleep, eat nothing but junk food, and wear the same clothes over and over without washing them. If you do that, you'll be well-prepared for IM intern year!