Any regrets?

[Jochi1543]

once CTU internal medicine came along I truly could have quit then and there if it wasn't for the fact that i knew it would only last 2 months. Two of the most painful months ever...and unfortunately more of it during family medicine residency...

 

So I hear, CTU apparently really separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. If I had a dime for every non-IM resident I've ever met who said they were 100% sure they wanted IM until they did that rotation...lol.

[rmorelan]

So I hear, CTU apparently really separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. If I had a dime for every non-IM resident I've ever met who said they were 100% sure they wanted IM until they did that rotation...lol.

 

Ok, I will bite although I probably know the answer - what makes that particular rotation so brutal?

[Lactic Folly]

I enjoyed my IM rotation and my elderly patients, but the toughest thing about it for me was how emotionally draining it was. You can always spend more time with patients and their families, they will appreciate it, and it will be better care - but I would go home completely wiped and needing the weekends to recover.

 

Frequently cited negatives of CTU (for those who dislike it): long rounds, long notes, chronic and complex conditions that often don't improve significantly, social issues and paperwork.

[BlackJack]

One of the more heartbreaking things about CTU is the abandonment of the patients. It sickens me to see elderly people jettisoned to the ER with bags packed by their overwhelmed families. Many of these elderly people are of sound mind. They're just weak.

[A-Stark]

So I hear, CTU apparently really separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. If I had a dime for every non-IM resident I've ever met who said they were 100% sure they wanted IM until they did that rotation...lol.

 

It's unfortunately my last rotation of clerkship, and I expect it will be my make or break rotation too. I've been fortunate to do some hospitalist work on my family rotations so far, which offered something of a (very) CTU-lite experience.