Moving right along

This path that we take to medicine is a long marathon. 

Your first year is a training on how to study for medical school. Your second year, combined with first year,  is a training year for your first board exam. The second year also has practical applications for your next two years. 

The clinical years are exhausting! 

I am sure they are preparation and training for your future career, and I am planning that I will likely be a very exhausted first year resident in 2016. 

So I am moving right along in this marathon. I have completed my cores (except for psych which was just a scheduling snafu) and 10 weeks of electives. I have about six months left of my medical school education. I have been compiling tips along the way but I have not yet had a chance to write them down. Here is the short list. 

• Get rest now and watch your favorite shows. 
• I know some people who have time for television and movies, but I do not. I also have a lot on my plate. If I had the extra time I would be studying for step 2 every night after my clinical hours. 
• Don't be too confident in the wards. 
• I didn't know what this meant when I read it in all of my books. This means that you have to gauge the physician. They like for you to answer succinctly with no frills. 
• Never leave early-even if the physician says to, don't. 
• I wish that I had known this trick. When my physician would say, "no really, go." I would go, because why else would they be so insistent. Because who cares why. Just say, " I would really like to see more patients before I go if it wouldn't cause too much trouble" or something to that effect. They will love it. 
• Be helpful but not too much
• there are so many interesting political moves at play during the rotations- if there is a script being printed, get it off the printer, if you can help with something then do, but do not do anything that you do not know how to do, and do not offer to do something that would put yourself at risk. We hear this stuff all the time, but seriously, if a physician says, "can you please put in the pharmacy orders for this patient you can. The only thing is that if you do not know how to and you do not feel comfortable then you should say so. The one thing that would be a huge problem is that you offer and then can't follow through or worse you create a pharmacy order incorrectly and the patient gets the wrong medication or no medication.
• Don't ask too many questions
• I made this mistake. I like to ask questions because my mind is reeling with questions. I learn best by doing, thus when I am doing or watching someone I have many questions. Some preceptors are ok with asking, some are not. They view your questions as accusations that they do not know what they are doing and that you are questioning their reasoning or actions. Some preceptors really just like for you to be quiet and not say anything. Just do your best to be quiet. Speak when spoken to and try to be humble and gracious. It is hard. I have heard other students that stand up to these types but I not sure I could be that person and as such, I think I will just not say anything and move on to the next rotation when it comes. 
• READ. 
• just read all you can about procedures and disease processes. Be prepared to answer questions when asked and recall information from one day to the next. 
• Have fun
• some rotations allow you to be yourself and have fun. Try to use discernment and only allow your jovial side to come out in the proper channels, some physicians view this as "blowing off" your rotation. With this type of physician you have to maintain a serious attitude at most times. 

I think these are some short ideas. I have more, I know, but I can't think of them at the moment. If anyone reads this and has other tips for students in clinicals please comment. 

Until Next time, 

Amy White Jones