The new interns have been working since July 1. It’s crazy to think that just 2 years ago I was “one of them.” They come in so excited to work and ready to learn everything. I have really enjoyed working with our interns over the past 3 months. As you could probably tell from my paucity of posts over the past year, 2nd year was RoUGh!!! I was pulled in so many directions. New responsibilities, but none of the “you’re new” attention or forgiveness. It was perfect timing for the new interns to come and rejuvenate me and my excitement for this field and residency.
Thus far I’ve worked closely with some the new interns in both the OB and the GYN disciplines. I was nervous about what type of basic science questions they would be asking due to recent graduation from medical school. However, those fears were quickly alleviated. I had no clue how much practical and clinical information I have absorbed over the past 2 years. I love that I am able to share my own developing style with the new interns. I realize how much I love teaching. It is great to review topics and they have well informed questions. It is such a different type of learning compared to medical students.
That being said, it is a little bit stressful to oversee the interns. Because they are doctors now and have new-found responsibility, they try very hard to remain autonomous. I have the responsibility of overseeing their actions, without necessarily micromanaging and hovering over them. I have a bit of a “trust no-one attitude” and have a healthy sense of fear about relinquishing responsibility. It’s a fine balance! If they miss something, ultimately it is up to me to be watching over them and point it out. I don’t ever make them feel that any question is a stupid question so that they keep me in the loop when questions come up instead of making decisions and mistakes that could be costly, so to speak. It also allows me the chance to teach them how to be more efficient, while I work on being efficient in overseeing their work and my work.
Hopefully this is great preparation to be a great attending one day!
