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[takasugi]

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[robclem21]

3 minutes ago, takasugi said:

Hey,

I'm a 1st year student at McMaster. I'm getting braces (more so for a functional issue rather than aesthetic) but this will require appointments every 4-7ish weeks with my orthodontist. My orthodontist is about an hour from where I go to school so I would have to take either a morning or afternoon off to attend these appointments every once in a while. Is this possible during clerkship? 

You should expect to schedule these on days when you are not working or when you are post call. I'm sure you could take a day off if you needed, but usually it wouldn't be granted unless its impossible to schedule in your off time. Check with the policy of your individual school.

[takasugi]

1 minute ago, robclem21 said:

You should expect to schedule these on days when you are not working or when you are post call. I'm sure you could take a day off if you needed, but usually it wouldn't be granted unless its impossible to schedule in your off time. Check with the policy of your individual school.

Do we get days off during weekdays though? Do post-call days ever end up on weekdays? (sorry I'm dumb)

[robclem21]

Just now, takasugi said:

Do we get days off during weekdays though? Do post-call days ever end up on weekdays? (sorry I'm dumb)

It depends on your individual schedule. On certain rotations like EM, you may have days off during the week, or certain days where there is teaching scheduled (and may leave your afternoon free). Post-call days would be any day after you finish working overnight and can fall on any day of the week.

[takasugi]

6 minutes ago, robclem21 said:

It depends on your individual schedule. On certain rotations like EM, you may have days off during the week, or certain days where there is teaching scheduled (and may leave your afternoon free). Post-call days would be any day after you finish working overnight and can fall on any day of the week.

So getting braces isn't something I should hold off on then? I'm just concerned about getting stuck in a position where I'll have braces on but won't be able to go into appointments due to lack of weekdays available

[Egg_McMuffin]

Don't know about other schools but at queen's we have 10 personal days to use throughout our core rotations; you're supposed to submit requests 6 weeks prior and take no more than 2 days off per 4 week rotation. Our faculty has assured us if it's something last minute or med appointments that are hard to schedule/get they'd be understanding. Would seem absurd if you had no personal days. Period. 

[frenchpress]

2 hours ago, Egg_McMuffin said:

Don't know about other schools but at queen's we have 10 personal days to use throughout our core rotations; you're supposed to submit requests 6 weeks prior and take no more than 2 days off per 4 week rotation. Our faculty has assured us if it's something last minute or med appointments that are hard to schedule/get they'd be understanding. Would seem absurd if you had no personal days. Period. 

At UBC we get 2 days during our core year 

OP - not sure about your school, but practically I have found preceptors on many of my rotations to be very flexible. So even though at my school we only technically get 2 days off (although others are possible negotiated well in advance), I was often able to get time off for appointments/obligations on short notice by just bypassing the ‘official’ system entirely. For example, at the beginning of a rotation I might let my preceptor know I have an appointment one morning the following week, and then asked if they would they be OK if I came in at noon and then stayed late that evening - they rarely had an issue with it. Or for shift work rotations like emerg, we’d usually have the opportunity to swap shifts or move things around if needed. 

I suggest you talk to some upper years at your school for the best advice about how to approach it, and which rotations are more difficult than others to get flexibility (i.e. where you may need to book ahead).  If you need something medically done I would not wait to do it. The university has to accommodate reasonable medical appointments, and I’d say this counts.
 

[bearded frog]

You should be able to get permission with a dentists note, with the expectation that you schedule for post-call days or other non-service days where possible.

[JohnGrisham]

14 hours ago, robclem21 said:

You should expect to schedule these on days when you are not working or when you are post call. I'm sure you could take a day off if you needed, but usually it wouldn't be granted unless its impossible to schedule in your off time. Check with the policy of your individual school.

On the flip side, if you say to your rotations "i have a medical appt on x day that i will need to leave early / come late afterwards" almost no one will care or make a big deal out of it, unless they are a dinosaur.

[JohnGrisham]

13 hours ago, takasugi said:

So getting braces isn't something I should hold off on then? I'm just concerned about getting stuck in a position where I'll have braces on but won't be able to go into appointments due to lack of weekdays available

It will be fine. Just be clear that you have this obligation and most people will accomodate you. Just have clear communication, and tell them in advance when possible

[JohnGrisham]

7 hours ago, bearded frog said:

You should be able to get permission with a dentists note, with the expectation that you schedule for post-call days or other non-service days where possible.

A clerk shouldn't have much issue getting some time away from service, most services if they have a clerk and residents..can function just fine without the clerk for a few hours.

[Butterfly_]

It’s totally fine to take days off. There’s a coordinator for each rotation. Email them in advance about your dentist appointment and they will try to schedule you around it. If they can’t switch it, then you can always switch shifts with another student. If neither option works, then you can submit an LOA to the clerkship director of that rotation. No one I know have ever received any push backs for medical appointments, even last minute urgent ones.