Here’s a copy and paste (with the name changed) of the evaluation that I received on my surgery clerkship. You can tell that this guy absolutely loved my performance.
Hoover showed no interest in this surgical rotation. His fund of knowledge was rudimentary and did not significantly improve. He attended the outpatient clinic and the OR for the most part, but his participation was peripheral in all aspects. He was late to rounds frequently, generally unprepared and had a 2 day unexcused absence.
LOL. That two day unexcused absence was the best two days of the rotation. And for the record, I got permission from the chief resident for the absense. Thanks for the good times, asshole.
Ha ha, stupid surgery jerk. I give you an A+ for Surgery for your HONESTY in not liking the specialty. Aren’t physicians supposed to be honest?
That’s one of the problems with surgery – they expect you to a) either really like the specialty, or b) to fake that you like it.
I actually told my chief resident on the first day of the rotation that I wasn’t interested in surgery when he asked about it. You should’ve seen the look on his face. It was obvious he wasn’t used to that kind of brutal honesty from students. Did that have anything to do with the poor experience on my surgery rotation? Probably so. Did he screw me after I got permission from him for the absense? Absolutely. I honestly didn’t give a shit, though. I made it a point not to cave into their empty threats and bullshit expectations.
I knew going into surgery how they acted. I knew that I would have a difficult time if I told them the truth, and if that truth wasn’t what they wanted to hear. I was told to play the game and to tell them that I was “possibly interested in surgery, but hadn’t made my final decision” if questioned by the staff.
Fuck that.
All surgeons who don’t respect my true expectations in a specialty can kiss my ass. They could kiss it back then, and they can surely kiss it now.
I did have a friend who on her surgery rotation told her attendings she was interested in internal medicine. She didn’t have any problems at all.
As someone who has taken it up the ass for telling it like it is, it has occurred to me over time that it’s all in the delivery. On the other hand, rubbing their faces in how much you hated medicine, and how they couldn’t really get rid of you even though they hated you, must have been satisfying.
I’m surprised the attending even noticed your “unexcused” absence. My surgery attendings didn’t know my name, let alone give a rip where I was at any given moment.
Scott, this guy was a textbook surgery attending. You know, the ones you always hear about and hope that you don’t get for a rotation.
MDGirl, it felt amazing to be able to rub their faces in my distaste for surgery. I enjoyed it in a weird, evil kind of way. =)
I’m a pre-med and I already know I’ve no interest in surgery, just from hearing about it and reading. EM, IM, possibly OB.. Not surgery. I don’t have the patience, the concentration, or the lack of sanity required for that. I have every intention of being up-front with that on my surgery rotation in med school.. Like, please don’t ask me to do more than the bare minimum, because I really just .. don’t want to. O.o; Let the nutjob kids who like this crap have it. (No offense to any of you nutjobs who may be reading this. >.>)
Hey, at least he knew who you were.
One of my surgery evals was straight 5′s. (1-7 scale with 7 being best, 1 worst). He left no comments. Basically, he conceeded that he didn’t know me…didn’t care…and passed me anyway.
Isn’t med school fun?
JChan – good stuff man, don’t let them pressure you into thinking you’ve got to lie. You’ll be faced with students who are doing a different specialty each time they step foot on a rotation. These students are what I like to refer to as “rotation whores”, because they simply tell the residents and attendings that they plan to go into whatever rotation they’re on for the block.
Haha Parcho, med school is indeed a blast =)
I would’ve killed for an attending like that. Out of site, out of mind…
Hoover- I am in love with you. Love, Me.
P.S. That evaluation, and the fact that you are going to move through medical school and get a residency just like everyone else, is going to get me through my last 3 weeks of surgery.
1-when you are a medical student there is a core knowledge you need to know (gen surgery included) in order to be a safe doctor. you don’t just do rotations based on personal preference .
2- when you are at a rotation you should do your best and try to learn as much as possible even if you don’t consider a future career in it. on the other hand, starting a rotation with the mentality of “i am not interested in surgery” is wrong
3-gen surgery is not for everyone, your chief resident knows that but he also expects you to be up to the standards of a good medical student and future safe physician.