Residency will be one of the most demanding periods of your career. It’s alos a time when many of your long-term professional and personal habits take shape. To help you navigate this phase, we’ve put together several practical tips for surviving PGY-1 and residency. These tips are based on the collective experience of the COMQUEST team. The more of these you can incorporate into your routine, the better positioned you’ll be to succeed.
Sleep? Yes, You Need Sleep.
Get adequate sleep! This is, by far, the most important tip to surviving residency. Start first by admitting you are not a superhuman. No human being can perform well with little sleep, no matter what your colleagues say. Second, know the time you need to wake up in the morning and select the appropriate bed time so that you are getting 7-8 hours of sleep. Third, make sure to turn off your pager and cell phone when you go to bed unless you are on home call. Fourth, when you are post-call and at home, don’t stay up. Take a nap. You need it. Have down time on your days off? Take advantage of that and fit in a nap to catch up on sleep. Remember, if you are chronically sleep-deprives, it will catch up to you quickly.
On-Call
Prepare for being on-call. You should be well-versed on the most common calls and admissions you will get in your specialty. If you perform well on-call and do a good job taking care of patients, you will gain substantial credibility with your colleagues and really increase your confidence. Start doing this from day one!
Narcotic Prescriptions During Residency
Learn about narcotic pain meds. You’ll encounter frequent requests for pain management medication, and not all will be clinically appropriate. That’s an area that often receives limited focus in medical school.
Residents and Attendings
Clarify expectations with senior residents and attending physicians early on. Open communication can help prevent misunderstandings and set you up for success.
Personal
Stay connected with family and friends, even when your time is limited. Be open about your schedule and make an effort to spend time together when possible. Maintaining these relationships provides important perspective and support throughout residency.
Likewise, don’t abandon the activities that help you recharge and get through the week. Scheduling time for hobbies and personal interests – even in small amounts – can help prevent burnout and keep you grounded. Residency is demanding, but rest and renewal are essential to long-term success. You need time to “sharpen the saw”.
Budget From Residency Income
Make a budget and stick to it. Try to save about $100 per month to help pay for your professional expenses. These include the COMLEX Level 3 Examination, FCVS application, state licensure application, state-controlled substances registration (if required), DEA registration, AOA board examination, and COMLEX Level 3 study materials. These costs can add up to about $4,000+, so by saving $100 a month, you’ll have the money to get these. If your residency program pays for some of these expenses, it will help lessen the burden. You don’t want to be in a situation where you can’t get your COMLEX Level 3 exam completed or your medical license simply because you don’t have the money.
Job Search During Residency
Start looking for a job at least 12 months prior to your residency graduation date. The hiring process in medicine is extremely slow, the licensing and credentialing process is extremely long, and you’ll need time to research and consider various options. Don’t be surprised if the hiring manager you negotiate with for your first job uses your graduation from residency as leverage against you in the negotiation by stalling. Since he/she knows you need a paycheck after residency ends, they will use this pressure to get you to concede. The workaround is to start your job search early and to have lots of options so you can simply walk away when one option seems to fall through.
Outcome
Above all, keep the long-term goal in mind: becoming a well-trained physician by the time you graduate. Residency is a demanding process, and growth takes time. Mistakes are part of learning, and what matters most is the progress you make along the way. If you finish residency as a capable, confident physician, you’ve succeeded.