Stop the abuse of hierarchy with these 5 tips

When I was a medical student, trying to forge my path on the clinical wards as a third year, there was a lot to turn me off the idea of a career in medicine entirely — sleep deprivation, early mornings, late nights, standing for hours on rounds, subsisting on diets of hospital graham crackers and off-brand peanut butter. However, what frosted me the most was constantly playing 6 degrees of separation from the attending. As a student, you reported to the intern who reported to the junior resident who reported to the senior resident who reported to the fellow who then discussed with the attending. After all that work, you spent most of your time just trying to keep track of the medical decisions that happened at the attending level, as that information slowly trickled back down the ladder to you. In the emergency department, such is not usually the case — students, interns, residents, fellows and attendings alike all work side by side for 8 to 12 hours at a time. On inpatient units, your only interaction with the attending was often only at rounds (and even then, you weren’t convinced the attending knew your name by the time he or she was expected to fill out your evaluation). But in the emergency department, the team dynamic usually has a more egalitarian feel. Often the attending is bedside helping interns and students with procedures, and in general, everyone is easily accessible and usually approachable and open. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Emergency Medicine Neurology Surgery Source Type: blogs