Our medical student is amazing. I think he was academically abused in the not-too-distant past, and responded by studying insanely, so that his grasp of basic science is unassailable. For some reason which I have already become too cynical to grasp, he is wildly enthusiastic about this whole med-student/surgery rotation deal, and simply begs for scut to help us with. (I used to be pretty enthusiastic, but this guy is out of even my league.) He sees more patients than any other third year I’ve heard of, and he knows the patients. He may not know what the plan is with them, or what to do next, or which parts of their labs to be concerned about, but he knows all the facts.
The only thing that keeps him from being dangerous to me (the way that insanely bossy fourth year student was) is that he thinks things through too much. I’m afraid the attendings are having fun with this. They’ll ask him a relatively straightforward question (as pimp questions go), and he’ll start reciting a chapter from Robbins’ pathology, rather than giving the one-word classic answer that they’re looking for. It cracks the residents and me up; which is rather rude on our part, but he seems to be surviving. I asked him if he was sure he wants to do surgery, and his answer was, “Of course I do. What else is there?” Poor guy. But he’ll be good at it; he thrives on hard work and long hours. Even though some of his questions are ridiculous, none of us mind answering, because he obviously wants to learn and understand his patients. (Although it’s a little bit funny how he’ll ask me questions, to which my instinctive response is, That’s exactly what I was going to ask myself; but it helps me think things through, to be forced to give him a reasonable explanation, and not just, This is how we do things.)
The medical school at this hospital is tough, way harder than mine. Their expectations of their students are so high. I would much rather be an intern here, matched, all set, on track in spite of my poor preparation, than a student. They take overnight call with ridiculous frequency (considering that the residents don’t), have lecture with uncomfortably regularity, and have all kinds of requirements and oral tests to get through. They are going to be much better prepared (for a surgery residency at least) than I was; and I don’t miss their shoes.
August 24, 2007 at 12:51 pm
I never understood why medical schools require excessive amounts of overnight call. The students really can’t help too much (can’t put in orders), and they are already overworked as it is. I always remember being annoyed at staying overnight during 3rd year (thankfully, my residents at the time let me sleep a lot). It sounds like a malignant medical school (and from your previous posts it sounds like a malignant surgery program….but I guess that goes with the surgery territory……torture=better surgeon in many surgeon’s minds). No wonder surgeons have surpassed psychiatrists and anesthesiologists in suicide……….they all seem so HAPPY and WARM, CARING individuals!!!! Are you still seeing 18 patients a day (because we all know that’s a STELLAR idea for both you and your patients considering that you only have 2 months experience as an intern)? Hang in there and don’t be afraid to question what you are going through. I have friends who are at various stages of surgery residency….and it just seems that their ability to question the system seems to be “beaten out of” (LITERALLY!) them. Surgery residency seems like an evil combination of torture and mind control. May God be with you!!!
August 24, 2007 at 6:36 pm
CW – It’s not that bad, really. Of course, I’ve already been brainwashed; but this is not a malignant surgery program. It’s very benign. The attendings haven’t yelled at me at all, if I’ve felt humiliated it’s been purely because they pointed out something I ought to have known or done on my own, and I’m not taking q3 or q4 overnight call.
As for medical students, since most residency programs, whether surgery or medicine, still have regular overnight call, it’s good for the students to get used to this. I would rather be in my position, having gotten acclimated to overnight call as a student, and now able to enjoy weekend call only, rather than some interns I’ve heard of, who never stayed overnight as students, and are now thrust into q4 cycles.
As for my patients: I think they have benefited from the pressure the attendings and chief put on me at the beginning of the month, because I now pay attention to details about them, and am getting more efficient and effective at providing for their needs. They certainly wouldn’t benefit from me being left as floundering as I was at the beginning of the year – and it’s only been two months.
May 23, 2012 at 10:06 am
I am a 4th year medical student. And I don’t know what kind of a doctor I am going to be…
I feel hopeless at times… Sometimes the pressure is just so much that I stop studying all together….
I am dead…
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