10 Tips for Surviving Intern Year
Internship is arguably the most grueling year of medical training, one that will test your resilience. But looking back, it was also a year filled with immense growth (professional and personal), memories, and friendships.
This year will also be unusual in that new housestaff will be entering training as we emerge from a pandemic. This will certainly be a unique time to train!
Here are a few tips for the incoming medical intern:
First and foremost, keep an open, positive attitude. Be inquisitive and engaged. Learn from your patients and your seniors. I had far more questions than answers during intern year.
Do not be afraid to ask questions. You are not expected to have extensive management knowledge, so this is the opportunity to ask away!
Soul search—what subspecialty (if any) are you attracted to? What practice styles are you attracted to? Do you enjoy outpatient or inpatient? Or both?
Learn by observing. You will pick up many skills, thought processes, and critical thinking approaches simply by watching your senior physicians. And these cannot be learned from textbooks. Clinical medicine is art.
Find a mentor, one that can also be a sponsor later if needed. If you find yourself leaning towards a particular specialty, find a mentor within that field. He or she will be able to guide you through residency, and ultimately also help you navigate the fellowship or job search process.
Within 6 months (after you have acclimated to intern life), get involved in research or scholarly activity. You’ll thank yourself if you decide to apply for fellowship later on.
Find time to study for USMLE Step 3. Easier said than done, but once that’s off your plate, licensing exams are done.
Build the camaraderie! Many of the people I met intern year became lifelong friends. Residency is a shared experience with many ups and downs—and there is a certain bond that develops during this time. Your fellow co-interns/co-residents will be an invaluable support system.
Start learning about personal finance (this is something I didn’t do until much later, but wish I had done as an intern). There are some aspects of personal finance that may be time, age, or income sensitive. For example, Roth IRA’s and physician disability insurance are cheaper/easier to set up as an intern! This book is a fantastic primer. I would also highly recommend The White Coat Investor’s blog to build some financial literacy.
Try to get regular sleep and exercise, and don’t forget to eat! (There were days during my intern year that I would make it to 7pm and realize I had forgotten to eat lunch—I do not recommend this!). If you do not take care of yourself, you cannot take care of other people.
It will be a memorable ride. And as with any experience in life, you get out of it what you put in!