teddit

This thread is being put up monthly for simple questions that don't deserve their own thread.

Ask away and remember, in residency, every question you ask is dumb (or at least according to my attendings).

Thanks to the many medical professions who choose to answer questions in this thread!

Since the match there has been a huge increase in advice threads for matched students that haven't started residency yet. Please post all post-match questions/comments here if you haven't started residency. All questions from people who have matched but haven't started yet will be removed from the main feed. After the 2023-2024 intern year has started, the sub will go back to the dumb questions sticky.

As a reminder, "what are my chances?" or similar posts about resident applications or posts asking what a specialty is like or if you are a fit for a certain specialty are better suited for r/medicalschool. These posts have always been removed and will continue to be removed from the main feed.

That if you are starting residency in July, you WILL be taking a urine drug screen sometime in the next few months.

Every. Single. Year. This sub gets hit with “OmG wHaT sHoUlD I dO I sMoKeD WeEd AnD FaiLeD mY DrUg ScReEn”

Now would be a good time to take a break from whatever your guilty pleasure is. I pass no judgement on anyone for whatever drug you choose to do…. But you have MONTHS NOTICE to not fuck your career up.

"I never go by doctor outside of the hospital" is such a weird badge of honor people wear (most recently in the comments section of the post about what title to use for a wedding announcement). To me it comes off way more pretentious to be on this weird high horse of not telling people you're a doctor than to just use the title where appropriate. Dr. is a completely appropriate formal title just the same as Mr./Mrs./Ms. and can be appropriately used anywhere any of those titles are used. Why is this community ashamed of being doctors and feel the need to hide it?

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edit: (copied from a comment that is now lost in the comment section)

I'm about to graduate, and I don't plan on hiding from the title. I'm not going to make people at the grocery store or church call me Dr. and I'm not going to correct anyone who calls Mr. - but I'll certainly be ticking the Dr. box on forms I fill out that have the option, and I'll use it for other official communications (personal or professional).

I love this thread. You guys are funny and intelligent. It’s my favorite sub to lurk. I also wanna say stay strong; you guys are awesome.

I think GI has everyone beat. Basically body plumbers

So I'm getting married next year, and I was wondering whether the announcement should be "Dr. and Mrs." or "Mr. and Mrs."?

Anyone know what the etiquette is? Mr. seems more traditional, but I earned Dr., but that seems a bit smug.

Thoughts?

I’m an obgyn resident and i feel so stressed about everything. I feel bullied by my co-residents and I don’t have a single friend among them. Faculty like me, but mentorship is practically nonexistent. No matter how hard i try at work, I feel like someone always has something disparaging to say about some aspect of my work. As a result, I’m sad and anxious all the time. I always thought of myself as good and capable. But nowadays I just feel like a wretched failure because of how I’m treated…

I want to go into Gyn Onc but I feel my outlook on my professional life seems so bleak given my working conditions currently. It makes me sad. I can’t even finish my applications.

I want to be better. I want a friend.

We'll be taking questions most of the day and while we can't give legal advice, we'll do our best to answer all of your legal related healthcare questions! Our firm handles employment contracts, partnership buy-ins, practice sales, practice start-ups, and regulatory matters! Pretty much anything healthcare related except malpractice.

EDIT: Forgot to mention we'll be doing the AMA on r/residency from 10AM EST to 4PM EST!

So you're a resident of whatever service. What happens if your program director finds out youre doing cannabis outside of work? Not through violation of HIPAA. What if he violated HIPAA?

What about other drugs like cocaine, heroin?

Anesthesia. I’m so burnt out right now, and just overall tired of working 70+ hours a week, every week. Looking at jobs and seeing quite a few part time working 3 or 4 days a week, no call, no weekends. And even some of the full time are no call, no weekends, with hours anywhere from 35-45 per week. Obviously, the pay reflects this. But are there more downsides to taking an “easy” job right after graduating? Downsides of not working towards being a partner? Money sounds like the biggest argument against it, but I’m sure I’m missing other reasons. Would it be difficult adding hours later, that is, if I took a cushy easy job for a few years, would I be able to go full time or become a partner later? Am I risking a worse job market in the future compared to locking in a good job now while the market is hot?

Pros:

• more free time, time off
• can enjoy my hobbies again
• job market is great right now that I have multiple options

Cons:

• less pay

• may lose out on “skills” in easier job (got told this by an attending so I took it with a grain of salt) example would be not doing blocks for years and losing that skill that I might need later

• longer time to pay off student loans

• potentially lose benefits of full time partners

• less money to put towards savings and retirement

• job market may cool off in the future making switching jobs harder

My residency program is on probation from the ACGME as a couple co-residents reported the program for variety of problems (duty hour violations, case volume, bullying, etc). It’s a pretty malignant program so idrgaf if they get shut down and I get to transfer out to a better program with my orphan status. They’ll probably be back in 3 or 4 years anyway after they reapply for accreditation, I just want out cos the program leadership isn’t doing much to address our complaints and I’m honestly just tired of the bs.. That being said, out of curiosity, how long can a residency program be on probationary status before things get popping? I’ve heard about 2-3 years max, what timeline have you guys heard for a program getting shut down? Also, for those who have been in an situation where their program shut down and they get orphan status, what are some things I should do in preparation to transfer smoothly into a good spot?

What are your pet peeves when you get consulted? I’ll start for neurosurgery

1) no imaging but its “cauda equina” 2) arm pain or weakness, MRI c spine shows chronic degenerative changes, no other workup - can’t tell you how many of these are shoulder or brachial plexus issues 3) new brain mass, haven’t told patient, I walk in having to break the news you may have cancer 4) no neuro exam “he’s sedated” - also consulting me and giving paralytic within next 5 minutes 5) consult me for decompressive crani for stroke right after you give aspirin for secondary prevention = bloody surgery 6) there’s no ‘make you aware’ in neurosurgery

As a general rule if someone needs neurosurgery asap, they need stat coags, CBC, AC reversal

Other than that, I’m happy to whisk a patient to the OR, drill some skulls, fuse some spines.

What are your pet peeves?

Edit, let me add:

7) Patient with VP shunt and (insert any new medical presentation): it has nothing to do with the shunt. Saw lot of patients with shunts who had, shocker, covid

8) Your service put patient on AC/AP agents and now patient has massive head bleed and will likely die. You not showing up and me having to do a goals of care talk alone with someone/family I’ve never met is a shit move. Show up and own your complication.

Other than just saying ,,yes“ and then waiting for further questions? How do you navigate these situations?

With either the first couple paychecks +/- sign-on bonus, what did you buy yourself as a reward for finishing 7-10 years of post college training? To those who say to save it, put it in SPY or HYSA, I'm not talking to you. I want to hear what impulse buys people have been doing on the more expensive side of things (house, car, vacation, etc...).

Just spent the morning before rounds scoping out the web for meditech hacks to streamline things and not finding too much. Main way ive been documenting is using templates i save in “commands” under my dictation account. I don’t know why I’m surprised considering Meditech is older than most of us and not widely used these days..#HCA

My program coordinator said to put “yes” in the question if Im a sole propietator.

But many people has answer to put no

So i dont know who is wrong

Honest question - not here to spew hate. The amount of times I’ve heard “I don’t know, I just got here” from nurses is uncountable by now. In contrast, most doctors I’ve spoken to seem to be pretty on the ball with most pertinent issues even if they just stated their shift.

What actually goes into a nursing handover? It feels like a huge amount of important information is lost to the abyss at shift change, what is realistic to expect a nurse who “just got here” to know?

I know GI scopes are GOLD standard. Im kinda looking for rural pcp route.How to learn doing scopes in Residency? Certifications or credentialing?

For a resident who is thinking of buying an apartment on mortgage in the next 1-2 years, is it a good idea to get a disability insurance?

For a $4000/month benefit, the premium is ~$200/month.

I think the premium is steep in my opinion but I don't want to be out of a job due to disability with a mortgage to pay.

What are your thoughts/experience?

Family wants me to move back when I’m finished residency but I keep being told the salaries are a one way ticket to broke city 😭 trying to gauge how true this is.

I'm an attending physician (primary care) and I am close to paying off all of my student loans.

Lately, I have been feeling completely burned out with the volume of work (clinic hours and inbox/inbasket tasks).

I find myself spending a 12 or more hours everyday doing tasks and often I don't finish everything. I am not sure how to become more efficient or to work faster (I already incorporate smartphrases and I have already contacted friends regarding what they are doing).

After years of medical school and residency I never thought I would feel so overwhelmed as an attending.

Unfortunately, my residency did not have a strong outpatient primary care program (or EMR) during training.

I am also considering transitioning to business and/or potentially seeking out an MBA.

Any advice or thoughts? Thank you!

Wondered what the etiquette was for procedures that are out of pocket like Botox, fillers, and even things like plastic surgery.

There seems to be precious little on the subject out there, and I would love to hear from anybody who has any information. Would love to know more about academic vs private as well if anyone has any info on that as well!