Chief Residency - all cracked up to be?

Was so thrilled when DH got picked for Chief a couple months ago and know it is a great thing to put on CV but not seeing the upside right now. All he seems to do is babysit, call people when they over sleep and minimize temper tantrums when people are unhappy with call schedule.

Many times I have to force myself not to sigh or roll my eyes as I hear someone talking to him while he is home about something being "not fair".

COMICAL!

[SuzySunshine]

Here DH doesn't have the option, they're all chief and it sucks. Its THE worst year of residency. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO looking forward to it - eye roll!

[migirl]

It is different for surgery/surgery subspecialties, since they all do a chief year. For us, chief year wasn't so bad.

I have a friend here whose DH is doing his medicine chief year and she has a lot of the same complaints that you do, Katherine. It's a lot of babysitting people who can't seem to figure out how to do their jobs.

Thanks for the insight. Good to know cause I sure don't get that insight from DH

[Deebs]

DH's program votes for chief. He removed his name from contention because we knew how bad it can be. His best friend was chief, and DH often stepped in to help with scheduling issues, etc because he thought it was really unfair for one person to juggle residency as well as all of the babysitting issues. The most valuable lesson it taught him...as an attending, he has ALWAYS thanked the person who does scheduling when his schedule is good. For many specialties, it doesn't matter, but in EM, the person who schedules can make or break your life.

[GrayMatterWife]

I have nothing to offer on this...chief service is a mandatory in NSG. AND IT SUCKS HUGE. For all programs, it's the worst year. But then...it's OVER!!!

[DCJenn]

I don't know one of the people who 'volunteered' for Chief during my husband's peds residency years who didn't develop physical disabilities, tics and permanent personality defects. (they actually were chief AFTER residency was over. It was like a 4th year of residency with absolutely NO benefit)

Jenn

[Auspicious]

I've had the opposite trajectory--I was very skeptical when he first got Chief, but he seems to be thriving with it. Like a blossoming young babysitter with her first Red Cross Certification Card, I guess.

My favorite story so far is that a PGY1 is reduced to abject misery after being yelled at for the nth time. Husband is walking her through the differing expectations of the different attendings, something I know he found very frustrating in his own first year. PGY1 laments, "I just don't have the knack for knowing what everyone wants like you do." Husband says, very exasperated, "No. The reason I know what everyone wants is because I've already been yelled at by every single attending in this program! For three years!"

His helpful older brother side is very cute. But ask me how I feel again later this year after everything we have in the works now actually starts to hit the fan.

[Flynn]

Here DH doesn't have the option, they're all chief and it sucks. Its THE worst year of residency. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO looking forward to it - eye roll!

For us it was just one more year of crap.


Gotta love surgery!

[Thirteen]

We're talking about this right now - I know it looks good and can "help" with "the job," but I'm concerned that it will be a lot of paperwork and BS and time away from me and possibly our infant child.

For now, I just listen.

[alison]

Ah... The most thankless job in all of residency!

Dh was picked to be one of three chiefs in his final year of residency. There is a steep learning curve, and having to deal with two other chiefs who were eager to be the "nice chief" was not always easy.

Once your dh finds his groove, I think the initial reservations and concerns about whether the job is worth it will fade a bit.

Good luck!

[ides]

ahh, cheif. In dh's general surgery program he gets to be cheif for two years. Yup, two years. Such fun.

[spotty_dog]

For many specialties, it doesn't matter, but in EM, the person who schedules can make or break your life.

In DH's program I think they voted in the chiefs but the faculty had the last say? There were three academic chiefs and one scheduling chief. At first DH was disappointed to be "just" the scheduler, but he soon learned what a position of power and responsibility it is! It was a lot of extra work and occasional annoyance from "whiners" but he handled it quite well I think. Only went a little mad with the power.