Slate.com Article: The Darkest Year of Medical School

[MrsK]

http://www.slate.com/articles/health...break_anchor_2

Thoughts?

[moonlight]

Third year is hard? Got it. Seemed like a advertisement for the author's book.

[MrsK]

I don't think she's so much saying that it's hard as she's saying that the experience during third year causes doctors to loose compassion for their patients. IDK if that is a fair statement, probably because it presumes that doctors lack compassion.

[SoonerTexan]

I haven't read the article yet but less than a week agree DH said, "I have way less empathy and patience than I did before 3rd year." It's sad. I don't think the hospital he is at helps with all the drug abuse, etc

[SoonerTexan]

Read it. Spot on. The same could be said for my sister in nursing school.

Honestly, I think it explains a little about why he wants to do Rads, though it isn't the entire reason. He did enjoy his pediatrics rotation and some of the IM rotation. I'm not the only person that has speculated the reason his school puts out so many pediatricians is the stark difference between the amazingness that is Children's and the organized chaos that is the main teaching hospital. A lot of the things he saw really demoralized him--in patients and the people he was working with.

It bothered him that the dude who literally crossed the border 2 days ago got 100% covered care because a social worker "found" an address for him, but another man who had done his diligence in getting on the public hospital's odd insurance plan and was trying to pay overqualified for any help by a few thousand dollars. And allllll of the druggies, 13 & 14 year olds giving birth, non-compliant patients, the homeless man with a raging case of scabies wandering out of isolation to hit up people for money to buy spicy Cheetos, calling a Puerto Rican hospital whose staff only speaks Spanish attempting to get old medical records.

It was hard for him to hear a REALLY disillusioned surgery resident refer to his patients as "the F***** up babies" and "the really F******" up babies. The latter were the ones that had been horribly abused and probably weren't going to make it. Recently one faculty member dragged a non-English speaker up and poked and prodded him in front of everyone for a 1/2 hour on grand rounds. DH said they guy had no freaking idea what was going on at all and it was awful to watch the man being treated like a specimen. Luckily that isn't that norm, but man, that's awful.

Of course he couldn't really do anything but shut up, smile, and nod. It was the worst on the rotations he hated, but way better on the rotations he enjoyed. That's what I hope the difference will be in residency--at least he will be doing what he enjoys.

I suspect his experiences aren't exactly out of the norm to any of you, though. It is what it is.

I think a lot of it has to do with it being the end of 3rd year too. And the lack of organization and coordination of his rotations. More than once he was told he needed to be in two different places at the same time on the same day by the same person. Once it was 3 places.

But in the end, I couldn't really tell you what a better way would be.

[ladymoreta]

ST, DH had a very similar experience (same medical school, for those who don't know), and I agree that while it made him a more proficient doctor, it definitely made him less empathetic and compassionate (and not just to patients, unfortunately). 3rd year was the worst, but I continued to see a decline in those two traits throughout residency. About a year out, he's starting to talk about trying to go back to the person he used to be. He sees it, but it's hard to drag himself back from that place.

[peggyfromwastate]

I can't remember 3rd year.

Dh always was criticized as being not very empathetic... Once he went into surg and started residency there was no more talk of empathy.

Anyway as a patient I really guess I don't care if my doc "feels my pain"... I just want a quick dx honestly. I guess "empathetic" on my list of qualities for my doc is very very low. But I know other people are different that way. It takes all kinds...

I did get the "book selling" vibe from the piece too.

[Sheherezade]

I don't think my DH had this experience with third year. He was in an inner city hospital and saw a lot of stuff, but his stories tended towards gang shootings and curiosity about that world - not "they got what they deserved". He went in to OB/Gyn also city hospital and I still don't remember a decline in empathy - just exhaustion. After 8 years of onc practice, I think dealing with the terminally ill does take a toll on your emotions. He's getting a handle on it but I think that comes from maybe too much empathy. You almost want to " turn it down" to bear losing patients after awhile - and doing that changes how you practice. It's a challenge for those types of specialty I think.