Digitaldoc's Residency Diary

This is how it works at the VA Hospital inpatient rotations where I am currently at. In the first year, we spend about 4 month-long VA hospital slots scattered in the first year. The other two hospitals we do not take any calls and spend 3 months doing that. The rest of the 5 months of the first year were relaxing elective rotations with weekends off and fixed work times anywhere from 8 /9am to 4 / 5 pm

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6 am: Wake up !

7am - 8:30am:

- Drive & Report to work
- Newly admitted patients from previous call are distributed
- Gather Patient data on old and new patients

8:30am to 9:00am: Morning Report

- Post-call resident presents new admissions to residents, medical students and clinical pharmacists
- Discussions with peers and attendings on management and differentials

9:00 am to 11:00am: Morning Rounds

- Multidiscipline rounds with attending, medical students, social worker, nurse & pharmacy students
- Bedside discussions on updates, management changes, discharge plans

11:00pm - 12:00pm:

- Putting in new orders into the EMR as discussed on rounds
- Typing in Progress notes on the EMR

12:00pm - 1:00pm: Noon Conference

- With Lunch, get to socialize with peers :-)

1:00pm - 3:00pm:

- Non-call residents Take new Admits
- Perform pending procedures like ascitic taps, thoracentesis, etc.
- Resident on call for the day takes any new admits after 3:00 pm

3:30 to 3:30 pm: Sign-out rounds

- All residents update the on-call resident about their patients and what labs need to be followed up

Post-3:30:

- Go Home whenever done with updating progress notes, admissions. I typically get done by 4:30 to 5pm, then go for a run / work outs / library / movies
- On Call resident stays back

3:00pm - 7:00am next day: Call Time

7:00am: New Day begins

- Post-Call resident gets to finish rounds first and go home before 12:00pm

Resident Takes Call on every 4th Day i.e. Q4 (7 calls in a month)