In previous posts I have spoken about Audition Rotations of Sub-Internships depending on the institution, so make sure to check out that post for what those internships mean exactly what fourth-year medical students choose to participate in them. In this post, I wanted to talk about how to succeed in those rotations. Now, what I say below is just from my own experience and research along with the feedback/conversations I have had with attending along with residents.
One of the first things that we can do as students is to truly know our patients. What does that mean? Well, for example, make sure to read up on your patient prior to a procedure, introduce yourself, and get any pertinent information needed. You can always write the notes, document whatever else is happening through the process, and check up on patients as needed. Not only does this allow for a better patient experience but also provides numerous learning opportunities.
The second pearl is to find where you can be helpful as a student. This part can be tricky but I think that I figured it out after the first few days when I took some time to figure out what the expectations were. You can also always sit down and talk to the senior resident on the team or other residents you are working to figure out where they would need you to be and what you both want to accomplish out of this rotations so that it is clear what it is that you should be doing.
Third, make sure that you are yourself. At the end of the day, you are ideally doing this rotation to gain a better perspective about the program and at the same time, you want to make sure that it is a good fit for you. So be yourself, have fun, learn as much as you can, and let the rest fall into place.
I hope that these pearls were helpful for your next auction rotation! What are some of the recommendations you have about how to succeed in an audition rotation?
