Which 3rd yr rotations have the worst hours? Best way to prepare for 3rd year?

[pigglewiggle]

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Hi-i searched the forums for the answer to these 2 questions but couldn't find anything. sorry if this is a repeat. just wondering which 3rd yr rotations had the worst hours (i was thinking prob surgery & OB). Also, how can you prepare for 3rd year if at all. Thanks.

 

[colbgw02]

Yeah, OB/GYN and surgery, and not necessarily in that order, are the worst.

So much of looking good on rotations has very little to do with actual medical knowledge. Much of it is knowing logistics, where to find things, how to find patients' records, how to write orders, etc. Much of it is also knowing institutional protocols - things that don't necessarily have to be done one specific way but always are. It's difficult to learn these things before you're actually on the wards.

Truthfully, you shouldn't worry about 3rd year yet. If you're a second-year, then you've got plenty on your plate with step 1 coming up. But if you insist, then get a pocket Maxwell's, if you haven't already, and familiarize yourself with how to write basic notes, like a SOAP note or a procedural note. And try to learn some basic abbreviations, so when you see something like NT/ND/No HSM/NABS you'll know what it means.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yeah, OB/GYN and surgery, and not necessarily in that order, are the worst.

Depending on the call schedule your school uses, IM should be on that list too.

In terms of prep, having just taken Step 1 before you start is usually a pretty good foundation. I know folks who like to read through a chunk of case files or blue prints before each rotation to get some "flavor", but most learn as they go. Your real "textbook" is going to be your patients, and so plan to read up on their ailments each night. No real way to know what order you will see things, or what will actually come up.

 

[UCLAstudent]

Depending on the call schedule your school uses, IM should be on that list too.

Yeah, definitely add IM. I'm doing IM right now and am on call q3.

 

[Blade28]

G Surg and OB/GYN. Then it's school-dependent - IM or Peds may be added to that list.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

OB/GYN has the most "wasted" hours, I think so it gets a special nod in my book. If you're on call for surgery and an emergent or trauma case comes in, you get to go see it at least. Same for Internal Medicine, if there's a code overnight or an admission, you'll probably get to be involved in some way.

OB is infamous for the "I've been following this patient for hours, watching her progress through labor, waiting to deliver the baby...oh but then the resident decides that he/she should deliver the baby instead".

 

[pigglewiggle]

thanks for the replies! i was asking about the hours cuz i am trying to figure out what to request for my 3rd yr schedule. My husband and i are thinking about trying to start a family mid-3rd yr so I wanted to get all of the bad stuff out of the way. I was thinking of doing surgery, then OB/peds (they go together), then IM, and then the smalls. Would being pregnant during IM be really hard/any worse that being pregnant during surgery or OB/GYN? Any advice that anyone has (or if any one has been in the same boat) that would be great...thanks.

 

[Law2Doc]

thanks for the replies! i was asking about the hours cuz i am trying to figure out what to request for my 3rd yr schedule. My husband and i are thinking about trying to start a family mid-3rd yr so I wanted to get all of the bad stuff out of the way. I was thinking of doing surgery, then OB/peds (they go together), then IM, and then the smalls. Would being pregnant during IM be really hard/any worse that being pregnant during surgery or OB/GYN? Any advice that anyone has (or if any one has been in the same boat) that would be great...thanks.

You might have a greater appreciate for OB if you are pregnant during it. But in peds and IM you probably come in contact with the most bugs that a pregnant person shouldn't. So it's a mixed bag.

 

[eforest]

your on your feet all day in ob-gyn and surgery. in im, at least in my experience, you get to sit during rounds. also, in ob there was an emphasis on denying having any sort of personal need (ie sleep, food) so i imaging being pregnant on that service would be tough. that being said, there were several pregnant residents when i did my rotation. i have no clue how they did it; i was dying!

as far as knowledge- I did well on step 1, but have a lot of trouble with my fund of knowledge this year anyway. for third year, you dont have to know every little detail about the mechanism of every little drug.

know the most common conditions associated with given chief complaints. know the standard of treatment for the most common conditions.

it is helpful to know the brand name for most commonly used drugs. although you will learn this.

for instance, if someone comes in with optic neuritis- and they're in their mid 20's, you want to think ms, and then you want to think avanex. you dont have to know every little detail about the mechanisms of ms, all 100 things on the differential for optic neuritis, and every single experimental medication that is in phase 2 trials for the treatment of ms. and you should know that avanex is the brand name for the interferon treatment that is used.

 

[The Buff]

your on your feet all day in ob-gyn and surgery. in im, at least in my experience, you get to sit during rounds.

I rounded for five hours the other day on medicine, standing the whole time. Wards=on your feet as far as I am concerned.

 

[OnMyWayThere]

It depends on the hospital. My FP rotation has more hours than my surgery! Surgery had no call or weekends...FP unlike many other hospitals, has overnight float, long call, etc.

On average though, OB/Gyn and Surgery have the worst hours. But your experience really depends on your hospital!

 

[mfreema1]

Depends on your school. At mine, pediatrics has the worst schedule, by far....it's even worse than Ob/Gyn.