Thursday 29 September 2016

How to stand out during your clinical rotations in the US?

US clinical rotations

Like hundreds of other students studying medicine, you will go through clinical rotations in the US. But not all of them realize the opportunity they get during this time. They think it’s just another part of their course that they need to go through. It’s a mistake. Clinical rotations in the US help you gain the edge that’s going to give a boost to your career. You can be a better physician and be much more successful than anyone else doing the same thing as you. It can be done by making yourself stand out during the clinical rotations. Here’s how you can do that.
1. Volunteer to do more: Clinical rotations in the US happen like you’re working on a job. You will be assigned duties, and you will be expected to perform them correctly. But, simultaneously, you will have a lot of opportunities for extra work which most of the students will pass. Who wants to do extra work especially when there are no added benefits for it? The added benefits come in the form of learning and personal development. Take them!
2. Stop complaining: During the rotations, you might feel like you’re being treated as if you’re the lowest in the line, and that’s what you’re. You are learning, and you must be humble about it. Sometimes, the resident may ask you to do small tasks that you think you shouldn’t be doing. Just do them.
3. Take time to study patients’ medical history: You’ll have a lot of time to explore a patient’s history and interact with them. You wouldn’t see your resident do the same, but that’s an opportunity to study more about patients, diseases and have more experience with patient interaction.
4. Spend more time at work: Working as if you’re at a job means you will have an assigned time when you can leave, but that doesn’t mean you should. Stay back to learn more because this can help you grow as a physician.
5. Be professional: Think about how you’re going to conduct yourself at work/study. Working with patients, working with other students, working with the resident and other employees at the medical center is crucial to develop you as a team player. Remember that medicine is an industry that is built upon teamwork. Either it should come naturally to you or you should learn it during this time of your US clinical rotations.
6. Be respectful: Sick people get depressed, and the condition of their loved ones is even worse. So, they may shout at you or get angry. The same can happen with your colleague who is totally burnt out and he may lose control. Work on your ability to deal with such situations calmly and still be respectful. Start doing these things from the day 1 of your clinical rotations in the US and you will find yourself better off than others studying with you.
In case, you’re still researching about medical schools; AUSOM is a great Caribbean medical school to consider. Check it out!

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