Ryan Fitzgerald, DPM
PRESENT RI Associate Editor
Washington Hospital Center
Washington, DC |
As my residency training draws to a close, I have been trying to think of words of any wisdom that I can impart o the incoming 1st year residents, to help ease the transition from student-extern to resident, or to help inspire confidence in the soon-to-be 2nd and 3rd year residents who will suddenly have a great deal more autonomy when they progress and a new group of 1st year’s arrive. What knowledge do I have to share about being a resident? What lessons have YOU learned along the way that have characterized your residency experience? We both know that incoming and rising residents will have questions—I know I certainly did—and they are relying on us to share our hard-earned pearls of wisdom.
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As an incoming first year resident, these are both anxious and exciting times. The excitement is overflowing and is well-founded: finally, significant participation in surgery after countless hours spent retracting as a student; beginning the practice of medicine as a young physician; embarking upon a 36 month period of training that is likely to be the most meaningful and beneficial of my professional life; and simply beginning a new experience with people I greatly respect. July 1 cannot arrive soon enough!
On the other side of the coin lie some equally well-founded concerns. First and foremost, it is remarkably humbling to fully appreciate the responsibility of holding people’s health and well-being in my own hands. Will I remember everything from those crack-of-dawn pharmacology lectures? Will I administer the right medication at the right dose? Might the learning curve associated with using the bone saw and other instrumentation result in some less than optimal results for patients who only deserve the best? Although I know I am well-prepared, is it possible my fellow incoming co-residents will be even better prepared, leaving me to look foolish?
Yes, at this point in time certainly all incoming residents are feeling a mixed bag of emotions. I enter residency confident in the education and training I received in school, willing to learn from the mistakes we will all inevitably make, determined to work harder, and eager for the opportunity and experience of a lifetime. Early one morning just days from now, hundreds of us will wake to our alarms to start our podiatric residencies and begin a new era in life; the stakes are far too high for us not to become exceptional physicians and surgeons. We must- and we will- answer the bell.
—Cabell Adams, DPM
Washington Hospital Center |
Thoughts from a graduating 3rd year resident:
I remember the fear. Am I going to make a mistake that is going to hurt someone? Do I know enough, and can I remember what I know when it matters? These were all questions that were circling in my mind as my pager went off in the middle of the night for the first time. I was the resident now, and although I had the significant support of my uppers, and my attendings, I was the one in the trenches –the first point of contact.
My residency training started at a run, and has maintained a vigorous pace these past three years, and I learned to keep my eyes and ears open to try glean what I could from each experience. Your residency training is an exciting time, full of unique challenges and interesting opportunities. These present as both clinical and personal obstacles, and I’ve found that you learn something for both, if you open yourself up to the experience. If could offer one pearl of wisdom, it would be to seek out these opportunities. Your residency training will be your best opportunity to learn as much as you possibly can, and I would encourage each of you to take control of your educational process to maximize your training. This is your time; make it everything you want it to be!
Ironically, as I look forward into starting my career as an attending and I prepare to enter the real world, I find myself facing similar fears –Will I make a mistake? Will I miss something? I am confident, however, in my training, and I recognize that a little bit of nervousness will keep me sharp.
I am sure that there are many of you across the country with significant pearls of wisdom to share regarding your unique experiences, and I would encourage each of you to take a moment to share a few of them on the current E-talk thread on this topic. We love hearing from you; your continued participation is what makes this process so great!
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The eTalk discussion thread for this topic is open, and the community would love to hear from you. Join in on this etalk topic or create one of your own.
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