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Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Practice Perfect Editor
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Podiatric Medicine,
Surgery & Biomechanics
College of Podiatric Medicine
Western University of
Health Sciences,
St, Pomona, CA |
Here at Chino Valley Medical Center, as with almost all podiatric residencies around the country, it's time to welcome our incoming residents. We're very excited here to add two new residents to complete the complement of six residents. The Chino program started  at the end of 2013 with our first two residents, and over the past couple of years have build up to a full program. Being a director has been a challenging and very rewarding experience. I've learned more from my residents than I could have hoped, and I'm very excited to greet my two new trainees. After close to 15 years in the podiatry field and working with trainees of all levels, I've seen successful behaviors that lead to successful physicians. To help those of you incoming residents, here's some unsolicited advice to help you get the most out of your residency.
| 1. |
Maintain the right attitude. Residency is about learning while you work. That means you have to be present to learn, mentally and physically. You may have just completed four years of challenging podiatry school, but that doesn't mean you should sit on your laurels and coast for the next three years. Work harder. Work longer. Three years is a remarkably short time for you to learn and hone your skills. That means you should work to get the most out of your three years. |
| 2. |
Don't be arrogant. Yes, you're a doctor now. No, that doesn't mean you know everything. You never will. It's highly unlikely you know more than the rest of your attendings. You most definitely don't have as much experience. Being humble allows you to be open to learning, while arrogance breeds errors. Know your boundaries of knowledge and skill and only go beyond those boundaries when you're with someone who can help you do so. |
| 3. |
Everything is a learning opportunity. Every experience, even the negative ones, are potential learning experiences. It might be improving knowledge, skills, or behaviors. You might already know how to do that bunionectomy, but there's likely something new and unique to learn if you look for it. You even have something to learn from a totally incompetent attending that all of your co-residents don't like working with – even if it's what not to do. |
| 4. |
 Push your envelope. Live with being uncomfortable. Learning is supposed to be a mentally challenging experience. Educational research has found that humans learn better and with longer-term retention when we work hard to learn something. As a resident, that means pushing yourself to do something you might not have wanted to do. Offer to take overnight call with the medicine service. Volunteer for that long case no one wants. Read that extra journal article suggested by your attending. Take on that leadership role that's become available. Do that lecture to the medical staff. Push yourself to do more, and you'll find that you've become more than you thought possible.
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| 5. |
 Take notes. I don't know how many times I tell trainees this one. When you're in clinic, and one of your trainers teaches you something, take notes. Do you have a photographic memory to recall all those things you learned in one day? I doubt it. When your surgical case is over, write notes about it. What were the steps of the procedure? What techniques made it successful? How does that attending do their closure? All of those details matter. Each night, consolidate your notes and read (see #6). |
| 6. |
Read read read. If you're not reading every night, then you're not doing your job as a resident (or as a physician for that matter). You see something, you read about it. Simple. Read as much as humanly possible. Read the classic articles. Read the contemporary articles. Think about what you're reading critically. Use the skills you've learned in journal club. |
| 7. |
 Practice your skills. Repetition is necessary for mastery. That means practice. Practice doesn't make perfect; it just makes better. Practice suturing. Practice making incisions and dissection. Want to use the needle drivers without putting your fingers in the rings? Practice. Want to hand tie better? Practice. |
| 8. |
 Teach others. When we teach, we also become better at that which we're teaching. Remember the old adage; See one, do one, teach one? There's a reason teach one is the third leg of this important stool. If you can explain something well, then you must have a mastery of that subject. Teaching others also helps you become better with your patients and with all around people skills. |
| 9. |
Manage your time. The key to keeping up with a busy program is to manage your time carefully. Keep a calendar, stick to it, and don't procrastinate your responsibilities. |
| 10. |
Make your program better. No program is perfect, and as a new part of the team, you have your own set of special skills to bring to the table. Find some way to contribute to your program to make it better for your having been there. |
Last, and finally, in the seemingly microscopic time you have remaining in this residency year, take a little time for yourself and loved ones. Reflect on your experiences. Be proactive rather than reactive. Autopilot is not the setting for you. Be intentional in what you do, including giving of yourself to your loved ones. And, remember, being a physician is a privilege. You could be digging ditches or sweeping streets. Instead you will be trusted by patients with their very lives. It's a hard and long road to become a practicing podiatric physician, so take the responsibility seriously and make the most of it. Best wishes on starting your new program year.
Best wishes,
Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
PRESENT Practice Perfect Editor
[email protected]
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