Worst thing you've seen a medstudent do

[Pudortu]

So...I saw some other thread about how to do well as a medstudent in their EM rotation. I saw how in one of the posts - I think it was from AmoryBlaine - about a medstudent going into Urology kept telling the resident and attending that a consult was unnecessary and inappropriate. So I figured I'd start a new thread for entertainment...

What's the worst thing you've seen a medstudent do in the ED?

I guess I'll start. We had this one really socially awkward medstudent (was a senior to me at the time) go into one of the rooms where an underaged girl had belly pain. People in the ED didnt realize he was that way until this happened. He goes in, does a quick history, and says "Drop 'em, I've gotta check out your vag." Did I mention that her dad was in the room? Yeah so the Dad went ape**** and the Dean of our medschool has to personally apologize to the family. It was a pretty big deal when it happened. Anyways, the guy is now in Medicine.

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[Bojack Horseman]

Sounds like a real charmer

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

Holy crap...wow!!!

 

[substanceP]

the following two experiences are what interns (not med students) did, but....

when i was a senior resident one of my friends from another service at another hospital had an intern who pushed 1000U regular insulin on a patient. she (my friend) said she gave him d50 then literally poured sugar down his throat for 6 hours and then kept him on a d10 drip.

another friend (also different service at different hospital) told me about one of the interns when she was a senior who was told to give 5000U sq heparin for dvt prophylaxis on a pre-op transplant donor and instead gave 50000U iv.

 

[WilcoWorld]

Getting drunk and groping someone from residency leadership at a social event.

 

[Arcan57]

Getting drunk and groping someone from residency leadership at a social event.

Good times...

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

Getting drunk and groping someone from residency leadership at a social event.

Sorry about that.

 

[8654Marine]

Hmm, where to start.

Here's one of the worst things I've seen.

It wasn't a student. It was a senior surgical resident.

Big blunt trauma case. The surgica resident takes one look at the PCXR. Starts calling the OR and yelling at everyone in the ED to prep the patient for the OR because of free abd air.

The ED resident reaches over, flips the X-ray around and reveals it to be gastric air bubble.

 

[NinerNiner999]

Telling the wrong family behind the wrong curtain that their son had died... oops. my bad.

 

[Birdstrike]

.

 

[b-real]

Hmm, where to start.

Here's one of the worst things I've seen.

It wasn't a student. It was a senior surgical resident.

Big blunt trauma case. The surgica resident takes one look at the PCXR. Starts calling the OR and yelling at everyone in the ED to prep the patient for the OR because of free abd air.

The ED resident reaches over, flips the X-ray around and reveals it to be gastric air bubble.

Physical X-rays, light boards? ¿Que?

BTW, I'm glad that residents are also included in these stories so that this thread isn't just a giant bitch session about med students.

 

[Redrox]

Keep in mind that this student just got back from involuntary psych related year off school:

Freaks out about an O2 sat dropping to 72 during intubation, shouts at resident to "work faster, he's dying." Advises patient after extubation of their right to sue, gets overheard and is reprimanded by the attending. Threatens the attending with sexual harassment for staring at her chest all month if this causes her to not get Honors.

Classy

 

[docB]

Med student picks up chart in ED. Goes and sees patient then scurries off into the netherworld to look up history and assemble voluminous H&P. Meanwhile patient who is septic is brought ot attention of senior resident who with attending in tow tubes, lines, drips and admits patient to ICU (elapsed time ~50 minutes). Med student the reappears and presents patient to attending and senior without ever realizing the patient had decompensated. Primary recommendation for work up was to get MRI of the sella and do a bunch of weird labs to evaluate for some puititary axis problem.

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

Keep in mind that this student just got back from involuntary psych related year off school:

Freaks out about an O2 sat dropping to 72 during intubation, shouts at resident to "work faster, he's dying." Advises patient after extubation of their right to sue, gets overheard and is reprimanded by the attending. Threatens the attending with sexual harassment for staring at her chest all month if this causes her to not get Honors.

Classy

Wow...freaking idiots like that piss me off. What did attending do? Telling a patient to sue couldn't that get her kicked out of school.

 

[b-real]

Wow...freaking idiots like that piss me off. What did attending do? Telling a patient to sue couldn't that get her kicked out of school.

It takes a lot to get thrown out of an American med school. I don't think this would rate in the top 10. And honestly, it's a dick thing to do, but it's not the end of the world.

 

[8654Marine]

Wow...freaking idiots like that piss me off. What did attending do? Telling a patient to sue couldn't that get her kicked out of school.

Two of the most difficult things to do: get into med school & get kicked out of med school.

Med students are bright but so ******ed, sometimes.

Like union labor. Or gov't employees.

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

Dang at my school we had two peeps booted. I just would think someone like a med student shouldn't be giving legal advice.

 

[TheBlueBlazer]

One of our residents has a story about a student who told a patient that her vaginal bleeding was God's punishment for having an abortion in the past, and that prayer was a necessary part of her treatment. Could be total BS but it's a pretty good story anyway.

 

[deuist]

We had a student at my alma mater cheat on an exam and get caught driving under the influence. She managed to stay in school. It's like 8654Marine said, getting kicked out is very hard.

As far as my students, I once told someone to perform a rectal exam to check for possible GI bleed. She refused on the grounds that she has never performed one before. I took her into the room to show her how to do a rectal. While we were there she began pouting and stamping her feet like a five-year-old, followed by saying, "Gross," loud enough for the patient's family to hear.

 

[ljpm8224]

As far as my students, I once told someone to perform a rectal exam to check for possible GI bleed. She refused on the grounds that she has never performed one before. I took her into the room to show her how to do a rectal. While we were there she began pouting and stamping her feet like a five-year-old, followed by saying, "Gross," loud enough for the patient's family to hear.

we let go a probie who when we were bringing in a 15-day impaction blurts to the attending "WHOOOOOAAAAAHHHHHH you're going to SCOOP OUT HIS POOP FROM HIS BUNGHOLE THAT IS SOOOO GROSSSSSSS EWWWWWW" in this totally loud exaggerated bro brah surfer voice right in the main hallway of stanford in front of the waiting families, other patients, nurses station, etc, etc.... all eyes were like lazerbeams on us. I was mortified for myself, the patient, humanity in general....

his dad is a fire chief, tho, so fear not he placed in a nice cushy firemedic gig

 

[Poetic Silence]

I saw a fine young medical student fumble a junior mint in the OR and it went inside the peritoneal cavity....

his name was Cosmo Kramer.

So, when someone told him he'd be observing in the operating theater, he planned ahead and brought his own snacks? Did he have nachos and a Coke too?

 

[8654Marine]

So, when someone told him he'd be observing in the operating theater, he planned ahead and brought his own snacks? Did he have nachos and a Coke too?

Ya didn't see that episode, huh?

I got another one: The admitting team came to the ED to admit a patient. I overheard the resident ask the student to present the case. To paraphrase that student's reply: "I didn't interview that person. I figured since you and the intern talked to him, I wouldn't waste my time"

That student had a long 1:1 discussion w/ the resident.



I am observing more and more of this nonsense.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Students:

This thread should be a lesson to you. There is enough douchebaggery among medical students that if you should up sober and are reasonably enthusiastic about learning we will not hate you.

 

[bad virus]

Students:

This thread should be a lesson to you. There is enough douchebaggery among medical students that if you should up sober and are reasonably enthusiastic about learning we will not hate you.

Thanks.

On another not, find it kind of endearing whenever residents, especially interns look down on med students as if they knew everything when they were in the same shoes not 2 or 3 years ago.

 

[RafaTech]

I'm only a medical student but I had this funny experience with a M4 sub-I on my medicine rotation. We were both taking care of a 19 yo man that was admitted for hematemesis after an episode of binge drinking. Our attending wanted us to to a rectal exam for a FOBT so the M4, a kind of socially strange kid, offered to do the rectal. We both go into the room together and tell the college kid that we need to do a rectal after which he obviously didn't seem too happy about.... Then the M4 goes to grab the gloves in the room and says out loud in front of the patient "Damn, they only have medium gloves, I need some large or extra-large gloves. Hold on, I'll be right back." I was busting up laughing inside because I could see the terror on the patients face...I sometimes wonder if med school needs a screen test for social skills...

 

[future_dr_house]

After talking with this med student about a patient, it was clear that the person needed a guiac. They said they would go in and do one. He grabbed the nurse for a chaperone and I continued charting.

I hear screams from the patient's room and rush over. I asked him to show me how he did it and he put up his hand in a scout's honor position. Maybe it's not the worst thing you could do but it was pretty emotionally scarring for the patient.

View attachment ImageUploadedByTapatalk1335973158.570671.jpg

 

[Vee]

After talking with this med student about a patient, it was clear that the person needed a guiac. They said they would go in and do one. He grabbed the nurse for a chaperone and I continued charting.

I hear screams from the patient's room and rush over. I asked him to show me how he did it and he put up his hand in a scout's honor position. Maybe it's not the worst thing you could do but it was pretty emotionally scarring for the patient.

That is hilarious. The poor patient.

 

[Ineedhopenow]

i'm only a medical student but i had this funny experience with a m4 sub-i on my medicine rotation. We were both taking care of a 19 yo man that was admitted for hematemesis after an episode of binge drinking. Our attending wanted us to to a rectal exam for a fobt so the m4, a kind of socially strange kid, offered to do the rectal. We both go into the room together and tell the college kid that we need to do a rectal after which he obviously didn't seem too happy about.... Then the m4 goes to grab the gloves in the room and says out loud in front of the patient "damn, they only have medium gloves, i need some large or extra-large gloves. Hold on, i'll be right back." i was busting up laughing inside because i could see the terror on the patients face...i sometimes wonder if med school needs a screen test for social skills...

lololololol!!!!!

 

[docB]

Here's a funny story from the point of view of a med student about a surgery chief:

I was doing my surf rotation and my team was called to the ER. The patient was well known to the surg service because she was a high thoracic paraplegic who was frequently impacted. When I say impacted she had a history of megacolon brought on by her narcotic dependence from her chronic pain. She also had no rectal tone because of her injuries. She would frequently get loaded up and have to be disimpacted. But it wasn't the usual finger disimpaction. Because of the aforementioned lack of tone, megacolon and the number of times this had happened you literally had to go in with both hands and pull out pounds of feces.

As the low man on the totem pole that night I was volunteered.

I was gowned, gloved, masked and wearing a hat (thanks to the merciful R2 who told me "Wear a hat or your hair will stink 'till you shower next) when I hear the chief storm into the ER yelling "Where's MSdocB?!?" He had some other demeaning task he needed done. The R2 points to the room I'm in and the chief storm over, throws back the curtain at the same time he's yelling my name. He then beholds me standing there covered in s**t up to my elbows next to piles of disimpaced glory and the odor hits him. I ask "Yes?" and he loudly and sharply says with the authority of a chief "Never mind!"

As he stormed off to find another med student I could see the R2 trying not to laugh.

 

[8654Marine]

Bad virus,

This thread is about medical students.

Don't worry, there's plenty of stupidity to go around involving interns, residents, and attendings. Myself included.

So don't get butt hurt about the comments. It's all part of the fun.

 

[monkeybutt]

This didn't happen to me, so I don't know if it's true or not.

I heard a resident telling a story once where he told a med student to go to room x and perform a rectal on a patient in whom there was concern for GI bleeding. The med student happily marched off to perform his assigned duty and the resident went about doing his business. Thirty minutes pass and the resident realizes he hasn't heard from the med student in a while, so he wanders over to room x. He opens the door to find the med student with his finger still in the patient's rectum. I don't know how the conversation went down, but apparently the medical student was also concerned with rectal bleeding, so he was holding rectal pressure to tamponade the bleeding.

 

[jbar]

.

On another not, find it kind of endearing whenever residents, especially interns look down on med students as if they knew everything when they were in the same shoes not 2 or 3 years ago.

Note: The issue that most of those posting have with these students isn't knowledge, it's attitude, work ethic, or social skills. That has nothing to do with level of training.

 

[pinipig523]

I've had an instance where a med student tried to correct me during ER team sign out - it's very annoying and it doesn't get the student anywhere.

So, as the senior resident have like 15 patients on the team, I'm signing out my junior residents' patients.

I said, "So I placed 7 simple interrupteds."

Student goes - "Actually it was 8."

I was like - "Who cares. 7 or 8, they have to come out in 10 days. Who cares."

He apologized after the sign out. Needless to say, he didn't get any brownie points. It's always good form to try to throw your senior resident under the bus in front of everyone.

 

[Birdstrike]

.

 

[Poetic Silence]

Once saw a medical student pick his nose and eat it. During a trauma code. Crazy.

"The cream of the crop." Yeah, right.

 

[em1234]

As a med student I witnessed some amazing craziness on behalf of a clown who was remediated from the class ahead of me...we were on OB together standing around during a boring procedure. The attg tells us to put on some gloves and feel something disgustingly gyn related. Before I could say anything, my colleague, let's call him Johnny Awesome puts on ONE glove and steps up, an all-a-flustered-aspergers-mess does the exam with THE UNGLOVED HAND!!! Obviously this led to a stage 5 freakout by the attg.
Had I not seen this with my own eyes I would have assumed this to be med student lore.

As a resident, also on OB. A med student dropped a baby during a delivery into the bag of "stuff" that hangs off the edge of the bed. The proud father exclaimed in front of the half dozen other people in the room, "My baby's in the trash!"

Lastly, as a resident, saw a wannabe medicine 4th year student who told a patient who was reluctant to be admitted for her vague ass complaints who had shown up 5 times in 1 week, that these ER doctors dont know anything and that she should get admitted so the real doctors on the floor can figure out what's wrong with her. This over overhead not only by me, but by her attg who is our assistant program director and who actually made her cry in the ED with his verbal tongue lashing. Amazing.

 

[Substance]

Keep in mind that this student just got back from involuntary psych related year off school:

Freaks out about an O2 sat dropping to 72 during intubation, shouts at resident to "work faster, he's dying." Advises patient after extubation of their right to sue, gets overheard and is reprimanded by the attending. Threatens the attending with sexual harassment for staring at her chest all month if this causes her to not get Honors.

Classy

Did she get honors?

 

[Redrox]

Did she get honors?

Yep. Got an evaluation from other docs in the department, didn't need to go nuclear.

This one happened to me on my first week of my first month as an M3. Stressed out intern got super excited that I speak Spanish and sent me up to see a patient on the floors to do a super thorough history, cuz our hospital doesn't use official translators and we had been working on little to no intel. Oh yeah, and the patients majorly deaf so be sure to shout.

Get in the room surprised to find the patient's intubated, but I'm new and gung ho so I start shouting Spanish straight in his ear and having him squeeze me hand once for yes, twice for no. Guy looks super scared, but I would be too if I's on a ventilator so I kept going. Super confusing history of present illness. Takes an hour before a nurse comes to check in, tells me I'm in the wrong room.

No wonder he looked scared/confused !

 

[monkeybutt]

Ooh, I've got another one. As an M3 we were learning to do pelvic exams on standardized patients (paid volunteers). Our volunteer was a 20-something attractive nurse and we were in groups of 4 doing back to back pelvic exams. The awkward kid in front of me went up to do the exam and took hold of the speculum, kind of like he was holding a pistol, with his thumb sticking straight up. He inserted the speculum, but didn't exactly get the view he want so started manipulating the speculum up and down and side to side. Finally the standardized patient said, "Um, you need to be careful because your thumb is on my clitoris."

He went into OB.

 

[winkleweizen]

Ooh, I've got another one. As an M3 we were learning to do pelvic exams on standardized patients (paid volunteers). Our volunteer was a 20-something attractive nurse and we were in groups of 4 doing back to back pelvic exams. The awkward kid in front of me went up to do the exam and took hold of the speculum, kind of like he was holding a pistol, with his thumb sticking straight up. He inserted the speculum, but didn't exactly get the view he want so started manipulating the speculum up and down and side to side. Finally the standardized patient said, "Um, you need to be careful because your thumb is on my clitoris."

He went into OB.

lol. I feel like it would be quite hard to get the clit with the speculum exam, but it wouldnt suprise me if newbies to the bimanual exam do it a bunch.

 

[Poetic Silence]

Ooh, I've got another one. As an M3 we were learning to do pelvic exams on standardized patients (paid volunteers). Our volunteer was a 20-something attractive nurse and we were in groups of 4 doing back to back pelvic exams. The awkward kid in front of me went up to do the exam and took hold of the speculum, kind of like he was holding a pistol, with his thumb sticking straight up. He inserted the speculum, but didn't exactly get the view he want so started manipulating the speculum up and down and side to side. Finally the standardized patient said, "Um, you need to be careful because your thumb is on my clitoris."

He went into OB.

Did he at least offer to buy her dinner afterwards? Can't stand players.

 

[gman33]

Ooh, I've got another one. As an M3 we were learning to do pelvic exams on standardized patients (paid volunteers). Our volunteer was a 20-something attractive nurse and we were in groups of 4 doing back to back pelvic exams. The awkward kid in front of me went up to do the exam and took hold of the speculum, kind of like he was holding a pistol, with his thumb sticking straight up. He inserted the speculum, but didn't exactly get the view he want so started manipulating the speculum up and down and side to side. Finally the standardized patient said, "Um, you need to be careful because your thumb is on my clitoris."

He went into OB.

That's a good way to increase your PG scores.
Customer service!

 

[PMPMD]

After talking with this med student about a patient, it was clear that the person needed a guiac. They said they would go in and do one. He grabbed the nurse for a chaperone and I continued charting.

I hear screams from the patient's room and rush over. I asked him to show me how he did it and he put up his hand in a scout's honor position. Maybe it's not the worst thing you could do but it was pretty emotionally scarring for the patient.

View attachment 19284

That's Cub Scouts. Boy Scouts use 3 fingers. THAT would make for a DRE!

 

[zinjanthropus]

Thanks.

On another not, find it kind of endearing whenever residents, especially interns look down on med students as if they knew everything when they were in the same shoes not 2 or 3 years ago.

You would be surprised at how much the interns learn in those first 2-3 months.

 

[future_dr_house]

That's Cub Scouts. Boy Scouts use 3 fingers. THAT would make for a DRE!

Haha good call. There are some excellent DRE stories here.

 

[diphenyl]

I asked a medical student to do a DRE on a woman c/o intermittent melena x 2 weeks w/ abd pain. I told him " Go do a DRE on bed 5 for me." He returns back and tells me "He had a normal rectal, hem neg- stool."
I stood there for a little while, slightly confused. "He?" I asked.

Turns out he gave a DRE to the patient in the next bed whom was c/o sore throat.

>-<

 

[Chakrabs]

I've had an instance where a med student tried to correct me during ER team sign out - it's very annoying and it doesn't get the student anywhere.

So, as the senior resident have like 15 patients on the team, I'm signing out my junior residents' patients.

I said, "So I placed 7 simple interrupteds."

Student goes - "Actually it was 8."

I was like - "Who cares. 7 or 8, they have to come out in 10 days. Who cares."

He apologized after the sign out. Needless to say, he didn't get any brownie points. It's always good form to try to throw your senior resident under the bus in front of everyone.

Oh, you're one of those kinds of residents. Sounds like a pretty innocent mistake and that the MS was trying to be accurate and didnt know if the info was relevant or not.

 

[Apollyon]

Oh, you're one of those kinds of residents. Sounds like a pretty innocent mistake and that the MS was trying to be accurate and didnt know if the info was relevant or not.

Are you, then, one of those kinds of students? I'll tell you, just be like that - pointing out immaterial mistakes, and see how that goes for you.

If one is really concerned, the student could ask after if it was relevant that one stitch was missed.

Whether you feel it is deserved or not, the student that points out miniscule and immaterial errors will be perceived as a turd. It goes back to the personality things that are intrinsic, and not taught or to be learned. Buttcracks will still be buttcracks, even as they progress along and learn more.

 

[DeadCactus]

Are you, then, one of those kinds of students? I'll tell you, just be like that - pointing out immaterial mistakes, and see how that goes for you.

If one is really concerned, the student could ask after if it was relevant that one stitch was missed.

Whether you feel it is deserved or not, the student that points out miniscule and immaterial errors will be perceived as a turd. It goes back to the personality things that are intrinsic, and not taught or to be learned. Buttcracks will still be buttcracks, even as they progress along and learn more.

I'd still argue there is a difference between a student reflexively blurting something out and the constant know-it-all gleefully catching the resident making an inane mistake...

 

[Apollyon]

I'd still argue there is a difference between a student reflexively blurting something out and the constant know-it-all gleefully catching the resident making an inane mistake...

How many times can someone reflexively blurt out something? More than once is going to be taken as an impulse control problem, a lack of professionalism, or possibly a consideration of some type of learning disability.

Half of the audience on Jeopardy! are people that were not selected for that show's taping (used to be 50000 took the test, 5000 passed, but what has stayed constant is that, from that pool, 500 are randomly selected to come out to Hollywood, and 150 actually get on the show), and, among those are those that reflexively can't stop shouting out the questions; in those cases, they have to stop taping and insert a drop-in question. According to the Jeopardy! book, Alex REALLY hates to stop taping.

If a med student has a compulsion to reflexively blurt out the answer, it is going to bite them in the ass just as much as the gleeful nitpicker. The "why" won't matter, as the result is the same.