Transition To Residency – Med Student Over Easy

In this episode, our host, Andy Little is joined by Kevin Tomecsek, Laryssa Patti, and Autumn Bass to discuss the transition from medical school to residency.

Obstacles and How to Overcome Them:

• Working through Imposter Syndrome
  • It is important to introduce yourself as a doctor, even if you don’t quite feel like one yet
  • Fake it ‘til you make it!
• Becoming comfortable with telling the patient your plan
  • Communication is key
  • Be honest with the patient and acknowledge that the plan is subject to change
  • When making a change, try to be very clear about why and most patients will be fine with that
• Developing your own structure for off-shift learning
  • Recognize that there are so many resources and try to narrow them down to the ones that will work for you
    • Less is more!
    • Find one you like and use that
      • One textbook
      • One place for quick references
      • One question bank
    • Ask around!
      • What does your residency use?
      • What do your senior residents like?
  • There will be less inherent structure outside of weekly didactics
  • There’s studying for In-Training Exam (ITE) and oral boards…then there is studying for real life
  • Try not to get overwhelmed by the number of resources or the lack of structure
    • Ask for help early
    • Start small
    • Be flexible
    • Learn how you learn
• Operating in a brand-new space where everything is unfamiliar
  • Your role
  • Your coworkers
  • Your hospital system
  • Your city
• Finding a mentor
  • The more the merrier
  • Take a little bit from a lot of people
  • Find someone doing what you want to be doing to get a sense of how they got there

Take-Home Points:

• Be nice and approachable!
• Be honest when you don’t know something…it’s ok!
• Take time to slow down and self-reflect as you go
• You’re never alone

Post by Patricia Capone, DO PGY-1

About Our Guest:

Kevin Tomecsek, MD
Clerkship Director, AdventHealth East Orlando EM Residency

Laryssa Patti, MD
Clerkship Director,  Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School 

Autumn Bass, DO
PGY-2 Emergency Medicine Resident, USF EM Residency

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