Guest iwannaplaylock Posted September 30, 2007 Report Share Posted September 30, 2007 http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=452354 Is our med system in canada that bad or is this a very rare situation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyleh Posted September 30, 2007 Report Share Posted September 30, 2007 That's ridiculous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanJ Posted September 30, 2007 Report Share Posted September 30, 2007 Wow. I really find myself wanting to know what university and what hospital this happened at . . . so I can avoid electives there like the plague. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medhopeful Posted October 1, 2007 Report Share Posted October 1, 2007 There's only one med school I can think of that starts in the end of July and would be considered a major Canadain city.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazow Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Starts with a Mick; ends with a Master! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ollie Posted October 2, 2007 Report Share Posted October 2, 2007 Starts with a Mick; ends with a Master! Actually I think it starts with a Mick and ends with a Gill! Mac starts earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
master_splinter Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 The medicine rotation at that hospital has had similar issues in the past. There's usually a story like that every year. Some students do thrive on the sink-or-swim they get on call there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted October 3, 2007 Report Share Posted October 3, 2007 wow i didn't know mcgills starts that early! every year? or just in 3rd/4th year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 I am in 3rd year and in my 1st rotation. If I was called by a nurse about a post-dialysis patient with flank pain, I wouldn`t have finished writing a chart note and then gone for dinner before seeing the patient or calling the resident. Even if the pt wasn't about to crash, why would you leave someone in pain while you write a note that can be finished later and then go eat your dinner? I really do think that this was poor judgement on the part of the medical student. Though there are many factors at play with respect the the pt's death. And it certainly isn`t the medical student's fault the pt died. Nurses know how to get a hold of residents/staff if something is urgent. They aren`t going to be sitting around waiting for the med student to finish their dinner if they think a pt is dying. 3rd year med students aren`t supposed to be first call to urgent cases...at least at Ottawa we are first call to non-urgent cases...if any university has 3rd year students 1st call to all cases not allowing the person (nurse) to use their clinical judgment about the best person to call, then that university would seriously need to reevaluate their process. I have a hard time believing any university/hospital would be so careless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agregson Posted October 5, 2007 Report Share Posted October 5, 2007 Where I did med schoool students were often first call for ward issues...the resident would be paged if the patient was unstable or if the student felt uncomfortable. The student has a certain degree of responsibility in recognizing a situation above their head and calling appropriate help. I'm now a first year resident at a different university. It seems the same rules apply...I always tell the student that they will be first call to the ward and I want to hear about any problems sooner rather than later. If I know a student is quite capable I let them have a lot of independence, if I have concerns about a student I follow them more closely. As medical students you are adult learners and need to be aware of your own abilities and limitations. This is a skill that will be invaluable throughout residency and the rest of your career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosmo14 Posted October 6, 2007 Report Share Posted October 6, 2007 I think one of the most important things to learn as a med student and as a resident is when to ask for help. Quite frequently we feel that we should know the answer, or be completely competant just because we went to med school, but that is so far from the truth. Book learning does not equal clinical abilities. Remember when you hit the wards as a med student and a junoir resident that is not weakness if you say "I don't know, I need some help, and therefore i am going to call my resident/senoir/attending". In my opinion the best med students or junior residents are the ones that know thier limitations. In fact when asked to evaluate med students that I am supervising I always take into consideration whether or not they know thier limitations. I am also don't give very much autonomy to those that infrequently ask for help as they are usually the most dangerous. I always feel more comfortable when I am on call with a med student that phones me just to review thier planned course of action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leviathan Posted October 9, 2007 Report Share Posted October 9, 2007 why would you leave someone in pain while you write a note that can be finished later and then go eat your dinner? According to his/her story, they were called for pain but went to get food before the cafeteria closed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickdraw_mcgraw Posted October 18, 2007 Report Share Posted October 18, 2007 That student learned one important lesson. Never trust a nurses assessment, you are the doctor, or will be and you have the knowledge to properly figure things out. He or she was the most educated person attending to the patient at the time. When will they own up and admit they made a mistake. Medical students don't have the ability to make assessments over the phone. Always go look at the patient, examine the patient, think, then call the resident. Trust no one, use your brain, and load the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.