What rotation taught you the most?

[hmtpnw]

Currently in clinicals. My goal this year is to learn as much as possible. Right now, one of my two electives is on a specialty service (transplant) and I’m starting to rethink that, wondering if I would get more out of something more generalized. 

Amongst other things, I’m considering doing another inpatient internal medicine rotation instead. 

My question in all of this is what rotation taught you the most? 
 

Edit: I should add that I am ultimately interested in hospital medicine vs inpatient cardiology. I made some connections with the inpatient cards team on my first rotation and have been picking up shifts with them here and there. I will be spending next month in the cardiac ICU as my other elective. 

Edited November 19, 2020 by hmtpnw

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

No brainer for me.  EM and IM.  EM was very first rotation and it helped that it was during the summer at UTMB as folks crashed/burned in their surries off the Galveston seawall onto boulders and got bit by venomous snakes in the dune grasses.  What I wouldn’t give to be close and be able to offer time to mentor students in their now Tier 1 ED.

Edited November 19, 2020 by GetMeOuttaThisMess

[DizzyJ]

Agree with EM or IM.  IM would be my first pick if wanting to be a hospitalist or inpatient cards.  

[MediMike]

On 11/19/2020 at 7:06 AM, hmtpnw said:

Currently in clinicals. My goal this year is to learn as much as possible. Right now, one of my two electives is on a specialty service (transplant) and I’m starting to rethink that, wondering if I would get more out of something more generalized. 

Amongst other things, I’m considering doing another inpatient internal medicine rotation instead. 

My question in all of this is what rotation taught you the most? 
 

Edit: I should add that I am ultimately interested in hospital medicine vs inpatient cardiology. I made some connections with the inpatient cards team on my first rotation and have been picking up shifts with them here and there. I will be spending next month in the cardiac ICU as my other elective. 

Which organ service are you going to be on? If I remember right you are a UW student? There is a lot to learn on transplant, especially if it's a fancy organ like heart, lung or liver.  Kidney are bleh.  I mean they're totally important but not as glamorous.  Transplant medicine is heavy as you have to master the organ and it's disease processes, you learn how to work up that specific failure, prognostic factors and ideally you'll see the ins and outs of immunosuppressive medications. 

If you wants cards or hospitalist try to score extra rotations in those fields! Nothing like immersing yourself in a field of study to learn it.  There's a reason residents spend so much time in house on rotations

[Aunt Val]

I'd say I learned most on my internal medicine rotations because my preceptor let me do all kinds of stuff and talked over patient cases with me.  I do wish I had been able to get a hospitalist rotation, as I think that also would have been very useful.

[EMEDPA]

Trauma surgery, hands down. 

[LT_Oneal_PAC]

This will be different for almost everyone, mainly because it depends on how much they let you do and not the specialty. I learned the most on IM, OBGYN, and ortho because they let me do everything and would actually have lots of discussions about the literature and what not. I learned the least on my EM rotation,  despite it being my specialty of choice.

[hmtpnw]

On 11/29/2020 at 7:07 PM, MediMike said:

Which organ service are you going to be on? If I remember right you are a UW student? There is a lot to learn on transplant, especially if it's a fancy organ like heart, lung or liver.  Kidney are bleh.  I mean they're totally important but not as glamorous.  Transplant medicine is heavy as you have to master the organ and it's disease processes, you learn how to work up that specific failure, prognostic factors and ideally you'll see the ins and outs of immunosuppressive medications. 

If you wants cards or hospitalist try to score extra rotations in those fields! Nothing like immersing yourself in a field of study to learn it.  There's a reason residents spend so much time in house on rotations

I’m at Duke! I believe it’s going to be the abdominal transplant service. 

I was feeling a little resistant to doing inpatient cards for my other elective because it would mean that both my electives would be in cardiology, but I think I’m gonna go with it. That’s what I’m interested in and I think I’ll enjoy it much more. 

[hmtpnw]

9 hours ago, EMEDPA said:

Trauma surgery, hands down. 

Ooo yeah. I’m not a surgery gal! But I could see how it would be a great experience to learn. 

[hmtpnw]

37 minutes ago, LT_Oneal_PAC said:

This will be different for almost everyone, mainly because it depends on how much they let you do and not the specialty. I learned the most on IM, OBGYN, and ortho because they let me do everything and would actually have lots of discussions about the literature and what not. I learned the least on my EM rotation,  despite it being my specialty of choice.

I’m starting to realize this more and more. I think I’ve decided to go with the elective that will allow me to do the most. It means that both of my electives will be in cardiology, but I think the experience of being able to have a bit more agency as a student is important.

[EMEDPA]

1 hour ago, hmtpnw said:

Ooo yeah. I’m not a surgery gal! But I could see how it would be a great experience to learn. 

Yup, tons of procedures, rounding in the ICU, lots of interaction with other specialties. 

[GetMeOuttaThisMess]

If burns is an option you might want to consider that.  While I did plastics back in my day as opposed to burns, everyone that came off the rotation knew fluids management inside and out.

Edited December 1, 2020 by GetMeOuttaThisMess