Help Please

[DocA]

Hi everyone,

 

I am an international medical student and I have an elective in General Internal Medicine Consult Service at McGill coming up in October.

 

I would like your advice on how to best prepare for this elective.

 

I think it is going to be hard to study everything in internal medicine (and then actually remember it lol), so I am trying to choose which topics to focus on.

 

Also do you recommend any specific resources to study from?

 

In general any advice on how to do good in this elective would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

[LittleDaisy]

Hey congrats on getting the elective!

The best way to study is to focus on your patients' diagnostics during the elective. Before the elective, try to read up on major IM topics like NSTEMI, anemia, chest pain, etc.. and work hard during your elective and always be enthusiastic! Good luck

Hi everyone,

 

I am an international medical student and I have an elective in General Internal Medicine Consult Service at McGill coming up in October.

 

I would like your advice on how to best prepare for this elective.

 

I think it is going to be hard to study everything in internal medicine (and then actually remember it lol), so I am trying to choose which topics to focus on.

 

Also do you recommend any specific resources to study from?

 

In general any advice on how to do good in this elective would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[ACHQ]

Since it's an elective in GIM consultations (assuming NON-medicine aka Surgical/OB patients on the wards) I would focus on the following:

 

Perioperative medicine/pre-op assessments, Obstetrical medicine, Hypertension, DM2 management, Delirium, Anemia, A-fib, transaminitis, AKI's, electrolyte disturbances (hyponatremia).

 

Then try to cover anything else within Medicine, but I think for a consultation service that should be good coverage when starting off.

 

Hi everyone,

 

I am an international medical student and I have an elective in General Internal Medicine Consult Service at McGill coming up in October.

 

I would like your advice on how to best prepare for this elective.

 

I think it is going to be hard to study everything in internal medicine (and then actually remember it lol), so I am trying to choose which topics to focus on.

 

Also do you recommend any specific resources to study from?

 

In general any advice on how to do good in this elective would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[rmorelan]

Since it's an elective in GIM consultations (assuming NON-medicine aka Surgical/OB patients on the wards) I would focus on the following:

 

Perioperative medicine/pre-op assessments, Obstetrical medicine, Hypertension, DM2 management, Delirium, Anemia, A-fib, transaminitis, AKI's, electrolyte disturbances (hyponatremia).

 

Then try to cover anything else within Medicine, but I think for a consultation service that should be good coverage when starting off.

 

sounds about right you need to know the common stuff very well.

[DocA]

Hey congrats on getting the elective!

The best way to study is to focus on your patients' diagnostics during the elective. Before the elective, try to read up on major IM topics like NSTEMI, anemia, chest pain, etc.. and work hard during your elective and always be enthusiastic! Good luck

Hi LittleDaisy ........ I have learnt from your profile that you are a McGill student ........ can you please shed some light on GIM consult specifically at the Glen. I have heard that it is mainly for ER patients requiring admission to the medical ward ?

 

There is something that I am particularly worried about ......... I have heard the the staff changes every single day ?

[ACHQ]

GIM consult specifically at the Glen. I have heard that it is mainly for ER patients requiring admission to the medical ward ?

 

If the consult service is in the ER (different than to the non-medical wards), I wouldn't focus so much on Pre-op/periop medicine or Obsterical medicine from what I listed (if that's the case). I would also add: CHF, COPD, Sepsis, Syncope, Falls, Pneumonia, ACS/MI, and GI bleeds to my list.

[LittleDaisy]

Hey DocA, I am not a McGill student...Just have good friends at McGill and have friends at home school who did electives at GIM consultation services...

For the ER GIM at the Glen I agree with  ACHQ to not focus so much of pre-op medicine and obs medicine (there are surgery and obs teams floating around)...I would mostly focus in acute cardiology and respiratory medicine, diabetes, sepsis shock and GI emergencies...

 

Good luck with your elective!

 

Don't worry about the staff changing everyday, it will be mostly main 2-3 stuffs during your rotation and one stuff responsible for doing your final evaluation...the IM doctors are quite nice everywhere, as long as you work hard, you will find the rotation very enjoyful !

Hi LittleDaisy ........ I have learnt from your profile that you are a McGill student ........ can you please shed some light on GIM consult specifically at the Glen. I have heard that it is mainly for ER patients requiring admission to the medical ward ?

 

There is something that I am particularly worried about ......... I have heard the the staff changes every single day ?

[DocA]

Thanks all for your feedback.

 

I have another question: I am under the impression that in order to have the best chance of matching to an IM program, GIM electives are preferred over IM subspecialities. Is this true or not ?

 

Another question: one of my aims from this elective is to do some networking with doctors in order to be able to get a research position later on. In your experience, is there more research opportunities in IM subspecialties than in GIM ?