"Courage - the first of human qualities ... because it guarantees all the others."
~ Winston Churchill
~ Winston Churchill
The academic year is coming to an end. There is both happiness and uncertainty in the air. The chief residents are packed up and saying their goodbyes. The newly graduated interns are finding housing and readying themselves for a new venture. It is an exciting time for all involved. At this time of the year, everyone is changing their position in the hierarchy. The rising chiefs have to assume the role of leader and the new interns will be a "doctor" for the first time. Some are up to the task and others, well, take a little bit of coaching. For everyone, July is eventful.
On July 1, there will be a new set of faces here. There will be those who have acquired the skill set needed to assume their new role and there will be others who have not. Some will have the confidence without the skills to back it up; and others will have no confidence but have good skills. In the end, there are very few who are not salvageable. Not everyone was born knowing how to do everything. That guy sitting next to you who acts like he has it all under control is probably just as scared as you are. We are all human and you WILL make mistakes.
Here are a few points that I found helped me put some things into perspective.
When you start getting anxious about a situation, remember start your thought process by taking your own pulse.
Never run to a intense situation (like a code), but walk briskly and come up with a plan of action.
Ask questions if you don't know how. It is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of strength.
Know your own limitations.There are probably many more. Good luck to you all on your new adventures. We are all getting ready for a little bit of a roller coaster ride.
“The key to change... is to let go of fear.”
~ Rosanne Cash
2 comments:
Nice post! I have to say, I have a love-hate relationship with July. Everything's always harder in July, but I feel like the time spent teaching is more rewarding. You know, like you make a bigger difference in knowlege faster. You only have to teach someone how to protect the perineum once (maybe twice) during a vaginal delivery, but it takes a lot of practice and patient teaching to teach residents how to do operative vaginal deliveries.
I am very much looking forward to my role not changing in July. It's the first time I've stayed in essentially the same job for more than a year since I started medical school. Each year of residency is different enough that it's basically a different job, at least in ob-gyn.
Or -- you could go into Pathology. Good luck.
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