What makes a great resident?

[contango]

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So I'll be starting anesthesia as a CA-1 this July, after switching from a surgical subspecialty. Aside from having a strong knowledge base and doing well on ITEs, what makes an anesthesiology resident really stand out in the clinical setting?

In surgery, it was mostly our fund of knowledge and operative skills... not much of which are transferable to anesthesiology. Any advice would be helpful!

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

So I'll be starting anesthesia as a CA-1 this July, after switching from a surgical subspecialty. Aside from having a strong knowledge base and doing well on ITEs, what makes an anesthesiology resident really stand out in the clinical setting?

In surgery, it was mostly our fund of knowledge and operative skills... not much of which are transferable to anesthesiology. Any advice would be helpful!

Fund of knowledge and procedural skills are transferable to a lot of specialties, including anesthesia. Decision-making skills, interpersonal skills, etc. I think the biggest difference between surgery and anesthesia is that while there are egos in all medical fields, anesthesia is not a predominately ego-driven specialty like surgery is. You're not going to be top-dog anymore, so you have to learn to play within the confines of that limitation. You have to learn how to be flexible and facilitate the perioperative process while also looking out for the patient's best interest (which is not always clear). You also have to be someone who derives satisfaction from doing a good job even when it goes unrecognized, because that is often.

Overall, though, I'd say your decision-making skills are strong already, having made the switch 🙂

 

[BobBarker]

Be a good little monkey and make sure the crna's all get their breaks, lunches, and home on time.

 

[dhb]

BOW YOUR HEAD

 

[soorg]

Never, ever say "no."

 

[@JackShephard]

Excellence in: attitude, skills, knowledge and work ethic.

 

[gasp]

Always be the most calm person in the room.

 

[contango]

Be a good little monkey and make sure the crna's all get their breaks, lunches, and home on time.

You bitter much, bro? No problem with this for me. My program has CRNAs relieve non-call residents around 4-5pm everyday for lectures and happy hours.

I appreciate all the other helpful (read: non-cynical) advice.

 

[BobBarker]

Not bitter. Also be sure to move the table as soon as daddy asks and when you move it too much because he didn't say stop and he gets upset be sure to apologize.

 

[loveumms]

Be humble - know when to ask for help. No one will think you are stupid if you ask for help but everyone will think your stupid if you don't and something bad happens. When I was a new resident, I had this assumption that I had to know everything - then I realized that the whole reason I'm there is to learn. Most attendings enjoy teaching - take advantage of this. I stayed in academics because I love to teach - the pay is less but the reward is huge to me.

Listen and ask "why" a lot. If one of your attendings or fellow residents insists on doing something a certain way - ask "why" because it's usually due to them having something that happened to them in the past. For example, I always put my suction under the pillow when I'm doing a rapid sequence induction … it's because when I needed it once, it wasn't hooked up correctly (even after I checked it before bringing the patient back). Luckily it wasn't in an emergency situation but it taught me to always double check and have it really handy.

Help your fellow residents - even when it's inconvenient to you. Stay a few minute late to make sure the call team has had breaks, see that extra preop or just ask if you can help. There are always a few lazy residents in every class. Once you get pegged as a lazy resident, you will never lose that reputation.

Residency is incredibly hard - you are stressed, over worked and under paid. It really does go so fast though so try and enjoy it. I miss every single one of my fellow residents.