Advice for new 3rd year medical students and soon to be interns

Learning clinical medicine is difficult.  It often seems overwhelming.  I offer this advice, as I have for many years to students. Assume that you will be confused and overwhelmed each time you start a rotation.  Some rotations take longer before you feel comfortable.  My specialty – Internal Medicine – is usually the most confusing when you start.  If you feel like you are drinking from a fire hose, you are not alone.  Amazingly, rotation after rotation, students start to feel comfortable in around week 3 or 4. Maximize your learning from patients.  I recommend keeping a notebook (either paper and pen or smartphone app).  Each day write down 2-4 things that you know you should better understand.  Often these points were discussed on rounds.  Spend a brief amount of time reading about that point.  As an example, today we discussed CKD stages.  Several learners (I include interns and residents) suggested that they wanted to better remember these stages.  I sent them an article to help their study. If you do this every day you will not have to “cram” as much. Examine as many patients with physical findings as possible.  Ask your peers if they have any patients with murmurs or other physical findings.  The physical exam can be very useful, but only if you practice it! Follow up patients after you leave the service.  You need to learn as much as possible from each patients.  But your learning depends on the feedback of what happens to the...
Source: DB's Medical Rants - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs