Top Ten Tips for Thriving During M3 Clerkships

From the 7/9/2021 newsletter

 

Perspective/Opinion

  

Top Ten Tips for Thriving During M3 Clerkships

  

Compiled by Scott Lamm

 

 Mr. Lamm and his colleagues offer some sage advice to the incoming third-year medical students …

  

• Be proactive! Pay attention on rounds and create a to-do list for each patient. Instead of asking for tasks from your resident, let them know what tasks you are comfortable with doing and if it is okay for you to complete them.

•  For Surgery – invest in a pair of compression stockings. Your feet at the end of the day will thank you.

• It’s okay to say, “I Don’t Know.” No one knows everything, and this gives you an opportunity to do the research and look it up for the next time you are with your attending or residents that asked the question.

• Nurses and CNA’s are your best friends. They know the patients better than anyone. Talk with them each morning. Update them after rounds. They will be very appreciative.

• Know what you are charting! If you copy forward a note, ensure that everything in that note is something you did that day. You will most likely not do a comprehensive physical exam every morning, so ensure you only chart what you did.

• Children’s’ Cafeteria Buffalo Chicken Ranch Wrap is the best! On nights, you can get it toasted mmmmm… Also, Children’s’ breakfast is the best pick me up in the morning after a call day.

•  Learn from your patients – they are the experts in their own life experiences. You will have a lot more time to devote to each of your patients than the residents, so spend the time. You will be surprised at how a good relationship can help the team exponentially.

• Calling consults can be nerve-wracking – write down the most pertinent points, lab values, and imaging results so you don’t forget them. Consultants will be very impressed when you have this information right away instead of making them search the EMR after the call.

•  Make sure to eat! Time moves fast and it’s easy to forget about lunch. A working mind requires a happy belly. Bring snacks, meal prep.  Sometimes it may feel like there’s no time in between cases or after rounds, but two minutes is enough to scarf down a granola bar.

• Have fun! Third year is full of surprises. There will be good days and there will be bad days. Step back and reflect when you have the chance. The connections you will make with attendings, residents, and especially patients will transform you are a physician. Step into each rotation with an open mind.  And do not hesitate to ask for help.

 

Sincerely,

The Class of 2022

 

 

 

Scott Lamm is a fourth-year medical student at MCW and member of the Transformational Times editorial board.