Intern Blues - can it really be that bad?

I’ve just ready Intern Blues by Marion. Can internship and residency really be that bad? The reader is left with the impression that internship is brutal, unrewarding, and unfair to both interns and patients.


The thoughts of some real docs might be helpful.

I read that book while I was on vacation right after graduation. While it isn’t that bad so far, just because we’re not q3. But there are days when I feel like I cannot get everything done that needs to be done and I want to feel overwhelmed. But yesterday and today were much more managable and I feel like I am gaining more control. Last week was just an admission fest and now I that I am at a more reasonable pace, things feel much more manageable.


But that book was pretty intense and I can easily see how they had their feelings, but the ending, when you learned what became of them, was motivating for me.

Maybe I am just a nasty, hardened, shoulda-been-a-Marine-Corps-drill-sergeant kinda person, but I found Marion’s book excessively whiny. I wanted to shake him and say, “Grow up fercryinoutloud! This is your JOB! You WANTED to do this, so do it already and enjoy it!”


I do think the non-trad perspective helps make intern year more bearable. I COULD be doing something else, I WAS doing something else, I had done all sorts of “somethings else” prior to medicine. Even on my worst night of call in the ICU I was still having fun.


Now, I felt very well supported - usually - by my more senior residents and other staff when I was an intern, so I didn’t feel nearly as unsafe as Marion relates. But really, he sounded awfully immature, and, um, I’m not.


Mary

  • Mary Renard Said:
...I do think the non-trad perspective helps make intern year more bearable. I COULD be doing something else, I WAS doing something else, I had done all sorts of "somethings else" prior to medicine.

This is a great additude. I'm excited to start med school because this is true for me. I COULD be an engineer, I COULD be doing research, or whatever. I chose this path, and every day will be a joy because it's my dream. Heck, even if everything goes wrong and I end up hating all my patients, I know I can always go do "something else" because I've done it before!

Hi there,


I did internship (surgery internship) under the pre-80-hour workweek. I was Q3d call and I did have some services where I was the only intern and in the hospital 120 hours or more per week. I didn’t leave until all of the work on my service was done.


To tell you the truth, it wasn’t that bad. I never whined and I never felt so exhausted that I couldn’t get the job done. (I may have some innate abilities to work with little or no sleep). I really had a ball during internship and found the learning curve steep and the patients very interesting.


I always thought that I needed at least four hours of sleep a night in order to function but in reality, I have been able to function on far less than that if need be. Whenever one of my chief residents said that there was a case about to go in the OR, my adrenalin wouldn’t let me sleep anyway. I loved operating and I still love to operate any chance that I can get. It’s just plain interesting sh-t! The more I do this, the more amazed I am at how I CAN get things done. I am not sure I am capable of doing anything else at this point.


Natalie

Howdy y’all!


It’s been awhile since I’ve browsed these parts but I figured I’d check in and see how things are going.


I just finished having this same discussion with our current interns and a group of 4th years applying to our residency. January seems to be the worst part of intern year for most folks. It certainly was for me.


The thing I thought sucked about internship was being tired. It seemed like I’d never quite get caught up on my sleep. Other than that (and, despite that), it wasn’t all that bad.


I knew everyday that I was doing something I liked. As a bit of background, I’m an emergency physician so rounding is about akin to torture for me. Even in the midst of the longest, most pontificating rounding session you could imagine, I was still pretty content. I knew I was a doctor and knew it beat, by far, not being a doctor.


Take care,


Jeff

I am sure it vaies a lot from place to place, but may experience has been that it is not nearly so bad as some of the stoies would make it out to be. It is still a lot of work - no doubt, and the new residents here at EMMC face their first go round on Medicine Service with a certain amount of fear and trepidation. But most get past that pretty quick and find it very rewarding. It is true though that by the end of the first week on service we figure they have met goals if they are still breathing.


I don’t know when that book was written o about what time period. But the new rules that restrict residency work hours and such have made a difference. Yes the old timers moan baout how brutal it used to be, but it is nice to have a fleeting bit of life outside the hospital.

It also depends on what type of environment YOU have worked under. If all your jobs were cushy 40hr/week with minimal stress then YES internship will be hell. If OTOH you have worked under huge stress and clocked many hours then it will not be bad. The bottom line is we can all sit here and mentally massage ourselves about it but until YOU are in it there is not telling how YOU will perceive it. Good luck.

  • Mary Renard Said:
Maybe I am just a nasty, hardened, shoulda-been-a-Marine-Cor ps-drill-sergeant kinda person, but I found Marion's book excessively whiny. I wanted to shake him and say, "Grow up fercryinoutloud! This is your JOB! You WANTED to do this, so do it already and enjoy it!"

I do think the non-trad perspective helps make intern year more bearable. I COULD be doing something else, I WAS doing something else, I had done all sorts of "somethings else" prior to medicine. Even on my worst night of call in the ICU I was still having fun.

Now, I felt very well supported - usually - by my more senior residents and other staff when I was an intern, so I didn't feel nearly as unsafe as Marion relates. But really, he sounded awfully immature, and, um, I'm not.

Mary



LOL Mary you made me laugh, it's clear you and I lived through residents whining and telling US as RN's how good we have it and bad they do when in reality it is not that bad at all, I did call 365 once for one job in Home care and spent weeks working every day, then other jobs that call made you work from Mon one week 7 days to Fri the next week ( so through the weekend) about 10 to 11 days straight. I would have to go out at 2 am and 3 am, if like the Docs always say " I make 1.5 an hour when call counted" As an RN how much was it?

0.50 cents an hour?

Everyone knows (Or should know) about the long hours (thats what shadowing is for) I'm like you Suck it up and do it! If being a DOc was easy then everyone would do it right?

You know if Ihave time ( yea right) Maybe I should author a book after 2nd year residency Called "Residency Suck it up!" LOL