July 6, 2011

• Interns: First Class

  Doctors are a lot like mutants…there are a lot of us out there among you, we each have our own special abilities, we feel like no one but others in our situation can understand what we have been through and we are feared and distrusted by a lot of the general public who seems to think we have abilities beyond human ken

  Sadly the resemblance ends there or I would be liquifying stuff with my mind all day long. Of course just like Professor X’s gifted, we all went through a special school where we learned to develop our burgeoning abilities as well. For some of us the mystique didnt last and we left for greener pastures. The learning process managed to turn others of us into beasts, although we manage to retain some of our human nature. The rest of us may have remained unchanged on the outside, but the havoc within us could lead to screaming banshees at any moment and magneto could…you know what? I think I lost my metaphor somewhere, let me know if you see it around.

  More to the point, July 1st is the medical new year.  Medical interns begin their journeys into the real world of clinical medicine, journeys that started during medical school but become much more real when they sign their own orders in a chart. This is the first week for all these new interns. So New interns, I was once in your shoes, and will be again when I start fellowship next year. Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

  1.Embrace your fear.  You have good reason to be scared.   You are directly responsible for the lives of others.  These others are very sick, or they wouldn’t be in a hospital.  But remember that you aren’t alone.  Your colleagues can and will help you, and you can help them.  Support each other.  

  2.Never be afraid to ask for help, but when you call, have your information in hand; anticipate questions.  If you don’t know what to do about a cardiac dysrhythmia, make sure you have an EKG and have ordered some labs before you call the cardiac fellow.  It will save you time and embarrassment, and will get the patient help more quickly.

  3. Sleep when you can.  Sleepiness harms both you and the patient.  I cannot emphasize enough the value of sleep.  Go to bed early, nap if you can.  If you’re too tired to drive home, don’t

  4.There is not a single tone on your pager that will not make you hate all humanity at 3 in the morning. Sorry.

  5. You now  live behind a magic curtain of people’s expectations and perceptions. You are more than just you now, you are a symbol…like Batman, or Captain America. Try to live up to it, but give yourself some secret identity time too.

  -Dr J, superhero at large.

  • 2:29 am
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