Starting my first clinical rotation: What do I need?

A Curious mindset – curiosity will feed your knowledge. Be sure to carry a curious mindset each day you set foot in the hospital. You never know when will a certain factoid benefit you in the future. Additionally, being curious will help you achieve more with the healthcare team, grow your interests, and even start your own research endeavors.

A Smile and a gentle greeting – Coming in with a positive attitude is important as that helps you in integrating better into the team. Make sure you show the nurses kindness as they will help make your experience significantly better.

An Ability to optimize your downtime – While some days will be busy, some may not be as much due to the varying nature of the hospital. During this time, it would be helpful if you could find an area of the hospital where you could do more reading on a topic of interest or weakness or even solve some questions from a question bank of your choice. Being able to utilize this efficiently will help you in dedicating more time later during the day to your hobbies and such.

Different resources for each rotation – Each specialty has its holy grail of resources, whether be it a specific set of books or websites that can help streamline your educational process. Be sure to ask your seniors for the optimal resources which have helped them, but also experiment with them and see which fits your learning style best.

Comfortable shoes – A lot of your time at the hospital will either be spent standing or walking, especially so during your surgical rotations. Having shoes that you consider comfortable will prevent back pains and help you perform better.

Snacks – Although you may find the cafeteria amusing at some placements, during some rotations you may not be able to fully utilize it. Carrying with you a small snack can help you continue for longer on those busy days.

Stay hydrated – Sometimes rounds take longer than usual, which is usually related to the caseload during that day and case complexity. Staying hydrated can mean fewer headaches, a better ability to focus, and healthier kidneys!

Qbank – I and many colleagues have found that using a question bank alongside your study material is essential to solidify your knowledge base. Whether it be the library-provided Amboss or any other resources of your choice, getting the chance to apply the knowledge and actively learn concepts is far better than reading alone.

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