Author: Marc N. Katz

Posted on

How To Find Research in Medical School and Residency

One of the most frustrating aspects of medical school and residency is the hidden curriculum. The stuff you kind of just figure out along the way and wish you knew from the beginning. One part of the hidden curriculum of medical school and residency is research. Here are my tips on how to successfully get published.

 

First off, why bother doing research?

If you are a medical student it will make you stand out when applying to residency and if you are a resident applying for certain fellowships it might as well be mandatory. So the first reason is for your resumé. The second reason is that research forces you to learn a topic more extensively than you normally would otherwise. That’s my favorite reason to get involved in research. You end up learning so much more compared to just reading topics and doing practice questions. Additionally, you also learn to

 

 

Find a topic or field that interests you

The only thing worse than doing research is doing research on a topic or in a field that bores you. That’s why all of my research is in cardiology. So find a research project in a medical specialty or disease process that you find interesting.

 

 

Find a mentor

Okay, so I’ve sold you on the idea of doing research. Next, you found a field that interests you. But how do you just start a research project? The best way to approach finding a research project is approaching someone who is already doing research in that field or specialty. As a medical student, I asked the cardiologist I was working with if he knew of any interesting research going on in the cardiology department. He put me in touch with the right people who pointed me in the right direction. Ultimately, I got two publications out of the experience and learned a lot about cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Fast forward to residency and some of the best advise I’ve received has been from my senior residents and fellows. These are people who have already done what you want to accomplish. They are probably the most valuable resources you’ve got so use them! Better yet, get involved in their research projects to get your feet wet.

Additionally, don’t forget your co-residents or medical students. Some of my close friends and colleagues are doing amazing research and their tenacity to publish their work inspires me to get on my grind. They are another valuable resource. Some of my colleagues who already have a few research projects under their belt know the system and how to maneuver it. So don’t be shy or too proud and ask your successful colleagues how they did it.

 

 

Be curious

If you don’t understand something then ask! Be curious about medicine and uncover the reasoning behind clinical decision making. As much as we know about the human body there is still so much that we don’t understand and your questions on rounds one day might be the beginning of your research project.

 

 

What did I miss? What tips do you have to help medical students and residents get published? Comment below and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss my next blog post!

 

Posted on

How To Study For USMLE Step 3

In my prior post, When You Should Take Step 3,  I went over the importance of USMLE step 3 with regard to fellowships moving forward and gave some insight into figuring out the right time to take the exam. The following post covers the nitty gritty details about how to actually study for the exam including study strategies and resources. Of course, this is not the only way to study for step 3 but its the most common and the most successful way.

 

 

Format of the test

Day one is the prototypical USMLE step exam consisting of 6 blocks of 38-40 items plus 45 minutes of break time leaving you with a 7 hour test on day 1. Day 2 is a little different. It’s a 9 hour day split up into two main sections. First you start off with another 6 blocks of multiple choice questions. They only give you about 30 per section on day 2 compared to about 38-40 questions per section on day 1. After you complete all 6 sections you move on to the simulation cases. These are 13 cases that are meant to simulate how you would treat a patient in the real world. Check out the details on the USMLE website here.

 

 

How to study for it- USMLE World

I’m not kidding when I tell you that the one and only resource I used to study for my step 3 exam was UWorld. Okay, and my Master The Boards book for USMLE Step 2 CK when I couldn’t remember some obscure fact or mnemonic. Okay, and I guess I also used Picmonic cards here or there for those super rare and hard to memorize tumors from my step 1 days. But I rarely used secondary resources. I mostly jotted notes down in a moleskin notebook. UWorld or bust!

 

 

Brush up on your biostats

On day one of the exam expect to have at least 6-8 biostatistics questions per section. 3-4 of those questions are from drug advertisements. It sounds daunting but you truly just need to know the basics. I’m talking about number needed to treat (NNT), number needed to harm (NNH), odds ratio, and different forms of bias. All that jazz. Know it cold and you’ll do fine.

 

 

Interactive cases- practice, practice, practice

Half of doing well on the 13 interactive cases on day 2 is knowing how to use the interface. The medicine is actually the easy part. Personally, I did a third of the cases over the span of a few weeks and then the remaining two-thirds over the course of the weekend prior to my exam and I felt adequately prepared. A few colleagues of mine did all of them the weekend prior to their exam. They are annoying and frustrating to get through but as long as you don’t kill too many imaginary patients you should be fine.

 

 

 

Still have some burning questions about how to study for step 3? Leave a question in the comments section below! And don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss my next blog post!!

Posted on

The Difference Between An Intern and a Senior Resident

At my hospital, we call first year residents ‘interns’ and all of the second and third year residents are the ‘senior residents’. It makes it easier for everyone in the hospital when you introduce yourself as ‘the intern’ or ‘the resident’. It set’s different expectations right from the get go. The biggest difference I’ve noticed between an intern and a resident is the following:

Now take a step back all the way to medical school where you don’t even know what you don’t know. It’s absolutely terrifying. You finish two years of classroom lectures and two years of clinical rotations and are eventually given a degree that essentially says ‘I know enough medical stuff to not kill someone’. And then on day one of residency you’re given 10 patients and realize they didn’t teach you any of this stuff in medical school. And that’s normal and okay. I still barely know what I’m doing everyday (I know, not really what you want to hear from your doctor).

My point that I’m trying to make to any medical student or intern reading this is that residency is terrifying at times and you won’t be okay. For some reason people don’t acknowledge this fact. That you are going to freak out at some point along the way either from anger, anxiety, fear, or all of the above. Just know that it’s going to get better.

I remember my first rapid response. A patient was in new onset atrial fibrillation with rapid ventricular response with a heart rate in the 180’s.  He was hemodynamically unstable with oxygen saturation dropping into the low 80’s in front of my eyes. I arrived to the patient’s room and there’s one nurse getting a new EKG, another two nurses placing a new IV and drawing labs and an arterial blood gas, another nurse helping the respiratory therapist adjust the ventilator settings, as well as the rest of the floor nurses gathered outside the patient’s room to witness what was going on. “Oh good, the resident is here!” one nurse exclaimed. And then all of a sudden everyone turned and looked at me for guidance. Oh, and did I mention that this was the first time I had ever met this patient before? I was just covering overnight.

Thankfully this situation happened later on in the year so I was comfortable handling it. Not to mention I love being the center of attention and hearing the sound of my own voice so I live for these kind of moments. Ultimately the patient did fine and we resolved the underlying issue (mucous plugging caused hypoxia which induced a.fib which caused hypotension and altered mental status so regular deep suctioning would prevent this in the future).

Looking back at that rapid response, I would never have felt ready to handle that type of situation if you asked me during my first few months of residency. Even halfway through intern year I still would not have been nearly as confident in my medical knowledge or even in my ability to handle the stress of the situation. It is normal to be overwhelmed. You are only one month into residency. We don’t expect you to be full fledged attending physicians yet (again, I’m still figuring stuff out on the fly half the time). Just promise yourself to be better tomorrow than you were today. At the end of the day that’s all we can ask for. Micro improvements each and every day.

Posted on

How To Learn More, Faster in Medical School

It’s been awhile since I used Picmonic. It was my go to medical school resource when I was a first and second-year med student and was even more valuable while I was studying for USMLE step 1 and step 2 CK.  The more I used it, the more valuable it became. It is still to this day one of my three favorite medical school resources, which is why I was so excited to team up with Picmonic to help spread the word!

 

 

What is Picmonic?

Picmonic is an online app that helps make studying easier, more efficient, and a little bit more fun. Let’s face it; medical school challenges you with a relentless barrage of information that requires absolute dedication to memorizing. And the worst part about studying in medical school is a simple fact that some stuff doesn’t make sense. You just have to memorize it. I’m talking about subjects like biochemistry, nutritional deficiencies, pharmacology, and microbiology. That’s why Picmonic is so amazing. It uses vivid pictures, stories, and wordplay to get all of that expensive medical school facts that you just have to know into your brain!

 

 

Let me just show you what I’m talking about

Each subject has a unique Picmonic ‘card’ that uses visual storytelling and pictures as mnemonics to help you remember more. They’re even better than flashcards! This is the Picmonic card for erythema nodosum, and I still remember it and use it to this day during residency. Inevitably during morning report, noon conference, patient presentations, or when I’m teaching my medical students this subject pops up. And my co-residents are just as shocked as my friends in medical school were when I rattle off the disease associated with erythema nodosum, represented by the Nodosaur with red bumps on its legs.

 

What I also love about Picmonic is that its cast of characters stays consistent throughout the Picmonic universe. For instance, take a look at the erythema nodosum card again down below. You’ll see a ‘cock (rooster) at sea’ representing coccidiomycosis circled in red.

 

 

Now check out the card for coccidioidomycosis. It’s the same rooster at sea, again circled in red.

 

 

Now take a second look at the coccidiomycosis card, but this time check out the granny-llama representing granulomatous inflammation, circled in yellow below. Now check out the same granny-llama circled in yellow on the Picmonic card for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegeners).

 

 

And again, we see the same granny-llama representing granulomatous inflammation on the card for granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegeners).

 

 

 

Buy Picmonic Now!

Ultimately, I wholeheartedly believe that Picmonic helped me pass and succeed in medical school and helped me ace USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK (and even bails me out every once in awhile during residency). The more esoteric and difficult to memorize a subject is the more Picmonic flexes its muscles.

 

 

So if you’re tired of reading about Picmonic and ready to try it out, here is what you should do:

  1. Go to https://www.picmonic.com/redeem and enter KittyKatzFree for 2-weeks of free access to Picmonic!
  2. Once you’re ready to purchase: use my link to get 30% of any fixed term subscription!

 

 

Posted on

What I Keep In My White Coat (mostly snacks and an iPhone charger)

I’ve written a lot about the philosophy behind surviving and thriving in residency. Which is great and all but it doesn’t help you when you forgot to charge your phone last night and you’re already operating at 20% battery. Here’s what I use on a day-to-day basis as an internal medicine resident as well as what I keep in my white coat (or hidden somewhere on the floor) to make my day to day-to-day life easier (and fully charged).

[amazon_link asins=’B00P7N0320′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’490a6a19-5dc1-11e7-a948-d3e22f0d8d4b’]

[amazon_link asins=’B071H9L9DN’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5eae6ca8-5dc1-11e7-9e02-97eb826441c4′]

[amazon_link asins=’B00ESYO5IW’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d6ca25b2-5dc2-11e7-a781-1b61b1c49ed7′]

[amazon_link asins=’B06XKBB8DX’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’8485ec81-5dc1-11e7-bd48-e3bbbc0eed75′]

[amazon_link asins=’B000F4OYEE’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4f8ed701-5dbe-11e7-9a41-195d89b14a13′]

[amazon_link asins=’B00BQ8UE1K’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’9af5dc94-5dbf-11e7-9e5e-4da3a711bcc0′]

[amazon_link asins=’B01GJKZZYU’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d00b0800-5dbf-11e7-b661-e3bc8380a7ff’]

[amazon_link asins=’B00062N428′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’0d027c82-5dc0-11e7-aeb5-43ee55e10f76′]

[amazon_link asins=’888370102X’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’kittykatzmd-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’32179663-5dc0-11e7-a958-af53baa2f1e1′]

Posted on

How To Write Your Residency Personal Statement (And a copy of mine!)

Initially inspired by a blog post from LifeOfAMedStudent.com about how to write your residency personal statement I wanted to share a few tips and tricks on how to write a great personal statement. By no means is the following all inclusive as the complete scope of writing your personal statement is beyond just one blog post. But hopefully any of my followers from medical schools in the Caribbean, United States, or around the world wondering how to write a residency personal statement will have a little bit more guidance. Oh, and also a copy of mine. So here are a few pearls of wisdom about how to write your residency personal statement.

 

Read ‘The Successful Match 2017: Rules for Success in the Residency Match’

I’ve pushed this book before and I’ll do it again now because I truly feel that it was the best book to read when applying for residency with regard to understanding the process. It explicitly spells out objective data about the match based on surveys filled out by program directors. No hearsay. Just facts. It’s a big book but you don’t have to read it from cover to cover in one sitting. Snag a copy and peruse through it when you need it because it helps you during each step of the residency application process, including the personal statement.

 

 

Just stay par

Don’t let your personal statement harm your application. In my opinion, personal statements aren’t going to get you an interview that you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. However, a really bad personal statement might kill your application like a shot of potassium to the heart. You want your personal statement to keep you par. So don’t use overly eloquent wording or try and reinvent the wheel. Be conservative and try to just hit onto the green. Don’t go for a whole-in-one.

 

 

You are applying for residency- not medical school or a fellowship

When you applied to medical school you were expected to draw on past experiences that made you want to be a doctor. This is not that time. We already know you want to be a doctor. They want to hear why you want to become a specific type of doctor. Write about why you want to go into your specific field. Additionally, don’t get ahead of yourself by writing about fellowship opportunities. Sure, you might only be going into internal medicine so you can become an interventional cardiologist. But you need to sell yourself on why you want this specific specialty right now. Just remember what job you are applying for.

 

 

Know your audience

Are you applying for orthopedics or pediatrics? Because I’m willing to bet that those personal statements are going to be quite different. Not because of the style of the essay but because of what attributes those essays will convey. Surgical residencies generally value ‘compulsive, high energy, confident, hardworking, committed’ applicants while pediatrics value ‘team players, well-organized, well-rounded, flexible, positive attitudes, and flexible’ applicants1. Organize your personal statement to convey attributes attractive to your respective specialty.

 

 

How to design your personal statement

Further detail of how to construct your personal statement is outside the scope of this blog post but let me give you the basic foundation. First you need a backbone. It’s that story you think of when people ask you why you went into medicine and it should be something that happened during your clinical rotations. You know, something you probably made a Facebook status or Instagram post about. Next, you need to think a about which attributes you want to put on display (i.e. what attributes do you have that your future specialty finds attractive). Then tie those attributes back into the backbone of your story to build the rest of your skeleton. Then close it off with a strong summary and don’t be shy to tell them what you want! Here’s an example of a rough outline:

  1. Paragraph 1: I have 3 attributes that make me an ideal candidate for this specialty. For instance, this one time…
  2. Paragraph 2: I demonstrated attribute number 1 when I did this
  3. Paragraph 3: Then I used attribute number 2 when I did that
  4. Paragraph 4: And then I displayed attribute number 3
  5. Paragraph 5: I want this specialty and attributes 1, 2, & 3 make me an ideal candidate for it.

Optional: in your closing paragraph tailor your personal statement to a specific program. I personally didn’t do this…but I also applied to way too many programs. My advise is to do this for one or two programs if you know with 100% certainty where you want to match. It can be exhausting and not worth the effort to do it for every single program.

 

 

Size matters

Make your personal statement one page. It will be visually appealing to the eye and will be short enough to keep the reader’s attention. Don’t forget that the program directors are reading hundreds of personal statements. You don’t want to bore them to death.

 

 

Make them want to meet you

Personal statements are the epitome of the humble-brag. You’re being asked to humbly tell a compelling story that paints you in a positive light. That doesn’t mean your personal statement has to be a bore. You want to make the reader want to meet you. You strike that balance with two main elements- (1) having a unique story and (2) the manner in which you tell it.

For instance, a goal I set in my personal statement was to paint a picture of a patient without sharing the underlying diagnosis. And just like clockwork every program director who brought up my personal statement during my interview asked me the same question, “what was the diagnosis?”.  So write vividly about an impactful experience and make them want to meet you (even if they just want to know if they got the diagnosis correct).

 

 

Lastly, check out a copy of my personal statement from when I applied to internal medicine in 2015:

While screaming incoherently and sprinting off of her boarding flight my patient suddenly collapsed. She was immediately brought to the hospital where I was given the responsibility of her care. I remember her well because her case inspired me to pursue internal medicine as a career. I was intrigued by her unique presentation, motivated to understand the pathophysiology of her illness, and humbled by her family’s fears. My leadership experience and enthusiastic persona helped me overcome challenging scenarios while I provided quality care to my patient. Overall this experience cemented my decision to apply for an internal medicine residency, especially after my first day on her case.

My patient had been suffering from strange psychiatric manifestations, labile blood pressures, and recent-onset echolalia and athetosis. Walking into her room I immediately noticed her multiple family members at her bedside. My previous leadership experience had prepared me for this scenario. I had to communicate complex concepts that I intrinsically understood to individuals who saw it as alien. Although healing my patient’s illness was my paramount priority, I also had to effectively communicate my plan with her and her family in order to make sure that they felt that I heard their concerns and that they were safe in my care. I discussed my assessment and plan with my patient and her family while they peppered me with questions about her case. Their initially palpable anxiety began to abate as I answered each of their questions. It was heartwarming to have a positive impact on this family and showed me the value of possessing effective communication skills in building the patient-doctor relationship.

I left the room and a calm, focused tenacity propelled me to find an underlying cause. It was exciting to explore such a seemingly unrelated constellation of symptoms and it is one of the reasons why I enjoy the prospect of internal medicine. General internists have the opportunity to diagnose and treat patients with illnesses affecting them from head to toe. For my patient, every organ system was a potential culprit and I excitedly dissected each clue to find a potential suspect. Eventually though I found myself scratching the back of my head, staring blankly at the puzzling results of my patient’s lab work and sought help from more experienced minds.

Working with my resident and attending physician we were able to find the epicenter of my patient’s autoimmune battle. I took it upon myself to research the biochemical mechanism of her disease process and was happy to see that even my experienced attending physician was interested in learning about the disease pathophysiology. It showed me that every day in medicine is a school day because there is always something new to be learned no matter how much experience you have. After two months of medical management my patient was stable enough to fly and continue treatment at home. It was awesome to see the impact that treating patients medically can have on their quality of life and I look forward to learning the intricacies of the medical management of chronic illnesses during residency.

Ultimately, this case stroked my interest in internal medicine and illustrates why I will be a unique candidate for an internal medicine residency. My amazement at the body’s innate ability to harm and heal itself fuels my passion for understanding the underlying mechanism of disease and conversely of wellness. I am able to communicate in a clear and concise fashion with laypersons and medical professionals alike. Being a safe physician is a top priority of mine as well. Although I am confident in myself, part of being a safe physician is knowing your limits and asking for help when you need it, both of which are qualities that I possess. In the end, I’ve become cognizant of the fact that that the best way to practice medicine is to care for your patient, both physically and mentally. My unique perspective and skill set leave me with a strong foundation for future growth as a medical professional and I am excited to continue my medical education through an internal medicine residency.

 

 

1- Katta, Rajani, Samir P Desai, and Samir P Desai. The Successful Match. 1st ed. Houston, Tex.: MD2B, 2009. Print.

Posted on

Medical Training Doesn’t Get Easier. You Just Get Stronger

I don’t think I’m ready for my second year of residency. As second years we have to cover the PCU (progressive care unit),  a step down unit in between the general medicine floors and the medical ICU (intensive care unit). We have to cover all of the rapid responses, situations in which patients are unstable and look like they are in impending doom, as well as codes for the entire hospital, situations when the patient is literally dead already and we have to work to bring them back. On top of that, our general responsibilities on the medicine floor services go from doing most of the grunt work to leading the decision making and overseeing and teaching our intern and medical students. None of this was in the medical school brochures. But you know what, neither was everything I’ve learned intern year of residency. Or in my third or fourth year of medical school during clinical rotations.

As I’ve progressed through my medical training I’ve found that the written curriculum is just as vast as the hidden curriculum. The learning curve is steep and it’s terrifying. I still encounter situations on the day to day basis that I have never dealt with before. And you know what? I’m still standing and so are my patients.

So to the recent medical school graduates waiting to start residency on July 1st: trust your instincts. It’s going to be difficult and there is nothing you can do to prepare for it. Read up if you want but don’t go nuts preparing for the unknown of residency. Have faith that, at times, you will feel inadequate, anxious, terrified, and not quite ready. Take solace that you are not alone in experiencing those emotions. It is normal and you will be okay.

Because you’re never fully ready for the challenges that lie ahead. You just have to be ready enough.

Posted on

When You Should Take USMLE Step 3

I’m about to finish my first year of residency. Although I might not be ready to be a resident I sure as hell am ready to not be an intern anymore. Intern year of residency is exhausting. There’s no way around it. And studying for yet another seemingly pointless USMLE is the last thing anyone wants to do after a long day in the hospital.  Here are some tips to help you figure out when you should take USMLE step 3:

 

Does step 3 even matter?

Yes and no. It truly depends on what you plan on doing with your medical degree. If you don’t plan on specializing it is hard for me to see how your step 3 score will impact your ability to get a job. Especially when you have to pass a board certification exam in your respective field in order to practice.

But if you are looking to pursue a fellowship then you might not want to ‘just pass’. The 2016 NRMP program director (PD) survey asked fellowship PD’s the importance of various factors when looking at applicants. They rated importance of each factor from 1-5 with 5 being very important. Let’s take a look at a graph from the 2016 NRMP PD survey that shows which factors PD’s across every specialty found to be the most important when selecting applicants to interview:

interview 1

And now which factors were most  important in ranking applicants:

ranking 1

Ultimately, step 3 isn’t the most important factor. But it is still a factor. Additionally, each specialty is different. A vascular surgery fellowship program is clearly looking for something different than what a sleep medicine fellowship program is looking for (take a look at the data yourself if you know what fellowship you’re interested in: Results of the 2016 NRMP Program Director Survey). But in general, there are more important things than step 3 when it comes to fellowships. I would err on the side of caution however and make sure it isn’t important. Meaning, don’t score so poorly that they end up looking at your score and make it a big deal. Let it be just another check mark on your application. Something to keep you on par with other applicants.

 

 

What is your specialty?

Generally speaking, USMLE step 3 is skewed in favor of primary care fields like internal medicine and family medicine. The majority of the test is composed of medicine topics. So medicine residents see a lot of what is on the test in everyday practice. This means that medicine residents can probably wait until the end of intern year and study intensely for 2 months or so and take it and pass. Essentially, waiting till the end of intern year won’t hurt you much. However, for anyone going into specialties like pediatrics, psychiatry, OB/GYN, or surgery I suggest you take it as soon as humanly possible. Some of my colleagues from medical school even took it the first month of residency. Their program even gave them a month of ‘research’ to study for it. So for anyone not going into a primary field like internal or family medicine you should, for the most part, take it as soon as possible.

 

 

Should you take step 3 before before residency starts?

Depends on a few factors. First off, can you afford it? Step 3 costs $875. Second, you need to graduate prior to even applying to take USMLE step 3². So unless you graduate early and have a considerable amount of time prior to starting residency I wouldn’t even put the thought in your head. Trust me, during residency the last thing you are going to be thinking is ‘I wish I studied more before residency started’. But what you do prior to starting residency is up to you. So unless you are required to take step 3 prior to starting residency I would hold off on taking it until during residency.

 

 

What does your intern year schedule look like?

For the most part you only need 2 months or so to study for this exam. So find a period in your schedule when you are on a lighter service. For me that was in December right before Christmas when I had a week of clinic followed by a week of vacation and three weeks of elective followed by another week of clinic and a notoriously light general medicine service. So I had ample time to study. Find a time in your schedule that will allow you about two months of time to study.

 

 

How should you study for USMLE step 3?

That’s an entire blog post in and of itself. Keep on the look out and subscribe so you don’t miss it!

 

 

What other questions or concerns do you have about taking USMLE step 3? Comment below!

 

 

 

1-  (2017). Nrmp.org. Retrieved 23 May 2017, from http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2016-PD-Survey-Report-SMS.pdf

2- Federation of State Medical Boards. (2017). Fsmb.org. Retrieved 24 May 2017, from http://www.fsmb.org/licensure/usmle-step-3/faq#g1

Posted on

Surviving Residency: 5 Tips You Didn’t Know You Already Knew

Residency is hard. Anyone who tells you differently needs a stat GI consult because they’re full of it. You will be tired physically, mentally and emotionally, regardless of what specialty you enter. The rewards of the job are sometimes short-lived and unpredictable, but their depth have the capacity to outweigh the dull and monotonous daily drudgery. One year after the Match, and nearly eight months into residency, here’s my advice to surviving, thriving and enjoying residency.

<
 

Build a positive mindset

The first year of residency and happiness are not always synonymous. In fact, being a happy doctor is sometimes an oxymoron — but it doesn’t have to be. It is entirely too easy to get sucked into the whirlpool of negativity during an average day in the hospital. You can’t control the events that happen around you but you can control how those events impact your mood. Arming yourself with positive mindset isn’t going to make your day any shorter but it might make it more bearable, dare I say even enjoyable.

 

 

Don’t neglect your mental or physical health

Being healthy isn’t one big decision. It’s multiple small choices that you make every single day. Eating healthy and exercising regularly won’t be easy during residency. You’re going to be tired and going to the gym might not sound that enticing, especially in the beginning of residency. You aren’t going to have extra time in your day to exercise or meal prep — you have to make time. So take a dose of your own medicine and make your physical and mental health a priority.

In that same regard, remember that asking for help, whether it is for patient care or for your own mental health, is a sign of strength, not weakness. Mental health issues like depression, anxiety or stress management aren’t things that you can just shrug off or ‘snap out of.’ You wouldn’t ask a cancer patient to ‘toughen up’ or ‘fight through it’ and you shouldn’t accept anything different from psychiatric issues either. Seek out help early and often. It might save your career or your life.

 

 

Maintain your support system

The corniest line of interview season, that your co-residents are the best part of residency, is also the truest. Just like during medical school, nobody else quite gets what you are going through. Your co-residents are with you in the trenches day in and day out. Whether you like it or not, you will spend more time with these people over the next few years than anyone else in your life. Embrace your new adopted family but also don’t forget about the family that helped you get to this point.

Make your friends, family and significant others a priority in your life and set realistic expectations with them. It’s unfair of you to agree to plans you know you can’t keep. Likewise, your loved ones have to understand your time constraints. Your relationships are two-way streets. Don’t let them crumble.

 

 

Just say, “I don’t know”

A mentor of mine once told me that knowing what you don’t know is one of the most valuable characteristics of a good physician. On day one of residency, you will not be expected to know all of the answers. However, you are expected to be able to collect the appropriate information and find someone who can point you in the right direction. So when a patient, nurse, resident or attending asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, simply say ‘I don’t know.’ At the end of the day, everyone around you will be happy to hear you admit that you don’t know something instead of trying to make something up. It shows honesty, integrity, and a capacity to put your ego aside. Remember that the only thing worse than an overconfident resident is a dishonest one.

 

 

Don’t worry, it gets better

The first few months of residency are the worst. Everything is brand new and it’s terrifying. But it gets better. The next few months of residency come around and you realize that it’s actually still pretty terrible. Okay, most of intern year is literally the worst. But it gets better.

You figure out the EMR and stop getting lost in the hospital. You learn to coordinate with the social workers and case managers. You figure out how to diagnose and treat bread and butter illnesses more efficiently. You start to make friends in other specialties. You never stop being tired but you learn to function with less sleep. You calibrate to a new sense of normal and realize that the only thing different from day one of residency is you. Trust that with each passing day you are becoming a better physician.
Ultimately, none of this advice is Earth-shattering or anything you didn’t already know — and that’s exactly the point. You’ve been preparing for this moment for years and there isn’t much else you can do to prepare yourself for the year to come. So if you remember nothing else just remember to trust your instincts, stay hydrated, remember to eat, sleep when you can, and always do what is right for the patient. Now go save some lives, doctor.

Posted on

Residency Lifestyle Essentials

During residency time is money and I have neither. These products and services helped me save a little bit of both.  Also I found a new favorite pair of shoes.

 

Subscription Services

Amazon Prime: Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial

If nothing else, free two day shipping is worth it. Spending the money up front for Prime might even save you money when you consider shipping costs. Or you can try it out for free for one month. Just don’t forget to cancel it if you know you aren’t going to renew it.

 

Or if you’re thinking of ideas for a loved one who is about to start residency consider it as a gift: Shop Amazon – Give the Gift of Amazon Prime

 

Fresh Direct

Groceries delivered to your door. What more can I say? The prices aren’t bad and they deliver the next day at set times that you get to choose from. Sure, I don’t get to peruse the aisles and get things that I don’t need but I also don’t need to put on pants. So it’s a win-win for everybody. Click the link above for $50 off your first two orders. You’ll also hook me up with some free groceries for myself. So sign up with my code so I can eat lunch this week. My parents will appreciate it.

Fresh-Direct

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee


 

 

Clothing

Allbirds

For #girlmedtwitter, #gaymedtwitter, and anyone who wants to look like a surgeon. These go great with scrubs while you’re the hospital and can even be routinely thrown in the washing machine once they get dirty. I’ve never advertised for shoes before but these are now the only pair I wear. Did I mention they’re literally the comfiest shoes I’ve ever worn? You won’t be disappointed.

allbirds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m always looking for new products or services to make my life more convenient. What are your residency or lifestyle essentials?