Cases On Feedback

Remember that—the first part of understanding that you may not return home on time as you had originally intended demonstrates maturity in spite of the unfortunate timing. With the downtime before the rush of patients, consider reading articles to further your knowledge and minimize reading at home. Regarding your professional duties, prioritize your patients accordingly: How would you prioritize your patients, your colleague’s patient, and your meeting with your attending? Given that the above example features an outpatient setting, observing patients based on their appointment time may be appropriate. To improve efficiency, develop a consistent system by which you may for example, observe the patient, order appropriate laboratory testing, complete the patient chart, and then discharge the patient once cleared. Changing your system, such as inconsistently choosing to chart before ordering labs, may delay patient discharge as you await laboratory findings. Regarding your colleague’s patient, if possible, it may be appropriate to page them about the late arrival for continuity of care. However, if it is not possible and you are certainly overwhelmed, ask one of your colleagues to see the patient. After your patient responsibilities are cleared, check in with your attending regarding the private matter, or if the issue is not time-sensitive, then ask to reschedule immediately in the morning.

As you can see, your schedule can easily become overwhelming from circumstances beyond your control. Regarding the page, answer immediately to inquire whether there has been an emergent complication. The extensive list of new patients should be divided amongst your interns, midlevel residents, and yourself with fewer patients assigned to the interns. When rounding, see the sickest patients first, based on a quick triage of their presumptive complications and diagnoses from the night team. Counsel your team that any laboratory work and imaging should center around these patients first, as well. Teaching may be difficult as you may not know all of their presenting symptoms and lab work yet, so you may choose to delay instruction until checking in with your team in the afternoon, especially since you may be on a crunch for time. After rounding, utilize any spare time to prepare for your presentation in the afternoon. However, your prior experience during residency is especially important in this scenario as it should allow you to hone your skills with minimal preparation. After the presentation, check in with your team to inquire about any updates, provide light instruction, or offer contact information to follow up as needed. Outside of completing your professional training and obligations and maintaining your personal health, which includes proper nutrition & exercise, please also consider the following:  Personal relationships  Family duties and obligations  Pets  Socializing outside of work  Hobbies & interests  Personal time Balancing your personal life during residency can be quite challenging, but consider the following advice from interns & residents: 1. Always prioritize your health and sleep. 2. Finding time to exercise can be difficult. Challenge yourself to take the stairs as much as possible. Motivate yourself to go to the gym before or after work by placing an equipped gym bag in your car. However, it’s perfectly okay to miss a day or two. 3. Similarly, finding time to eat properly can be difficult. Meal-prep at home if possible, search online for quick (but nutritious) recipes, or choose healthier options at the cafeteria. 4. You can’t do everything in one day. Spread your housework out over multiple days. It’s okay that you may not have the time to clean your dishes every day. Likewise, spread your activities out, such as by socializing on certain weekends and fulfilling errands on other days. 5. If possible, schedule any personal obligations or important events (e.g. weddings, birthdays, etc.) well in advance and inform your program accordingly. 6. If you’re living with or nearby family, rely upon them for help. Communicate that residency will indeed be a time-consuming chapter of your life, and at times, you may need them to lend a hand with groceries, cooking, or other small tasks. 7. On the weekends, always schedule some time for your interests & hobbies. Your wellbeing is incredibly important. 8. Always have a plan B for when prior plans fall through. Flexibility is key.