Residency varies from medical school in various ways. The training process is very intense and time-consuming, leaving students with less time for other engagements. In addition, medical residency jobs leave students tired emotionally, mentally, and physically. In many cases, students find this stage challenging to navigate and complete the few years of training. However, residency training is a significant part of learning for all physicians.
Therefore, it is recommendable to consider the below tips to make navigation more manageable and make residency enjoyable.
Prepare for the Transition
Residency comes with responsibilities that you must prepare for before attending to them. Ideally, you could have gotten away with poor study habits in college, but it won’t be easy to cope if you transfer the same study behavior to residency. Thus, after a successful residency matching process, start reviewing information that will help you know your stuff and stay on top of your duties. This may include patient histories and other physicians’ notes. Additionally, use apps to help you stay organized and time-conscious.
Preparation in residency is essential because it allows you to understand what you expect and organize yourself in advance. Also, it helps you develop a positive mindset about the job.
Join a Group of Likeminded Residents
Arguably, consistent support during training years will be much appreciated. Indeed, you will not have all the answers, but you must give a correct response to a patient. Thus, you will need to consult with your team to gain insight on several ideas. Besides practicing, you also need to study, and your team will be instrumental in bringing diverse study techniques and data.
In addition to studying and consulting, you will need reliable friends to help you get through the difficult times in residency training. During the few years in residency, never fail to seek help when you need it. Therefore, take advantage of like-minded fellow residents or get a group together if there is none to join.
Adjust Your Lifestyle
Residency jobs are demanding and tedious that you might feel there is no time left to incorporate anything else in your life. However, the job requires the highest level of discipline. Thus it will be more manageable if you can restrain yourself and have self-control.
Defensibly, it will be easier to get the task done if you integrate job, study, and personal responsibilities as daily activities to balance your life. Even when handling difficult task you will be able to handle without quitting or procrastinating if you are disciplined. The secret to maintaining discipline is setting priorities and managing time properly.
Personal Care
Residents barely have time to sleep, eat or exercise despite carrying out tiresome tasks throughout the day. Most of the time is used for caring for patients, reviewing tests, or studying for exams. Besides, you become exhausted that making a healthy meal or going to the gym is not a welcome idea.
However, lack of healthy meals, exercise, and enough sleep can be detrimental to your emotional, physical, and mental well-being. In the worse scenario, the resident becomes depressed and burnout. Thus, prioritize having a healthy meal, exercising, and getting enough sleep to be effective in physicians’ work.
Accept Mistakes to Improve Performance
Residents are expected to have integrity and be honest throughout the training years. Lying is a disservice to the patient and yourself. Never in your training and attending years be dishonest or overconfident. Instead, admit to not knowing even if people take you to be intelligent and capable. You are a physician, and every day you will be faced with new conditions that will require you to learn or otherwise mess things up. Lowering your ego will enable you to receive constructive feedback that is vital in improving your performance. More importantly, remember it gets better when you get more experienced.
In conclusion, residency training prepares you, and how you perform significantly impacts how effective you are in your career. Therefore, it is recommendable to incorporate the five tips in your training period to ensure you make the most of it and elevate your performance as a physician. Also, getting help from residents who are already successful in your specialty, especially for new applicants, assures impressive outcomes. Since the medical field is highly competitive personal efforts and support from experienced persons are vital.
