Advice From a Former Intern

Advice from a former Chief Resident for Successful Internship

1. Be Proactive. Don’t wait for someone to assign you a patient. Just ask if anyone has seen patient, grab a chart and start being a doctor. If you are in the hospital setting jump at the chance to go to ER and do as many admissions as you can.

2. When you are frustrated with a specific issue or process, don’t just complain about it. Complaining is ineffective. Offer a solution to the problem. If need be get your fellow residents involved and ask them to be part of the solution.

3. Make time for meals! There is no need to starve yourself.

4. As an intern you should go to every code even if it is not a patient in your service. You will learn how to run a code and your colleagues from other specialties will appreciate the support. As a result you will develop friendships that will go beyond your residency and into your eventual practice. In addition, other Attendings will be impressed with your work ethic and team approach, which will set you off on the right foot when you rotate through their service. Remember first impressions are long lasting!

5. Don’t hide in the call room on your call nights. You miss out on getting to know staff and learning from them. Many times if I had a slow night I would run into other residents or fellows and offer to help them. I learned from the patients they saw and got to help out on procedures.

6. BE NICE to nurses. If you are humble and astute you will learn much from their sage advice. They are your lifeline, don’t burn that bridge!

7. Ask for feedback on a regular if not daily basis from your upper level residents and on a weekly basis from your attending. This prevents you from operating under the impression that you are doing well only to be surprised by a poor evaluation at the end of your rotation.

8. Don’t ever feel entitled. Stay Hungry.

9. Complete your H&Ps, progress notes, clinic notes, discharge and transfer summaries in a timely manner. Don’t transfer patients without transfer summary! That is just cruel to your colleagues and NOT the standard of care.

10. Don’t be shy about procedures!

11. Study for in-training exams and Step 3 by using the learning opportunities the patients you see offer. If you see a patient with hemochromatosis, this would be a good time to relearn all about it and then some.