Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

10 tips to make residency more enjoyable

Jessica Deslauriers, MD
Education
January 3, 2016
Share
Tweet
Share

As a second year resident, I often do not feel like an expert in anything.  Every day I learn more about medicine and realize how much more I still want to learn.  In spite of the emotional, physical and mental challenges that being a young doctor entails, I have remained positive and have grown stronger throughout residency.  As I reflect on the past year and a half, I appreciate the valuable lessons that I have learned that have made my life during residency more enjoyable.  Hopefully, these tips will help you, too, to thrive during residency and life.

1. Build a support system. You need people in your life who you can talk to about work, football, politics or anything else that crosses your mind. After four years of dinner conversations, my husband, who still cannot look at blood without cringing, knows much more about medicine than the average lay person and has provided me an invaluable, non-medical perspective on hospital and patient concerns.

2. Keep your hobbies. Pursuing your passions while in residency, whether you like to play an instrument, paint, lift weights, sing, or write, is not only possible but is also essential. I bake cupcakes on my days off, workout, at least, three times a week at my local gym and read fiction.

3. Embrace your vulnerability. Don’t be afraid to admit to your colleagues that you’re hungry, tired or having a rough time. Being vulnerable is part of being human and enables you to empathize with the people you help every day. Although it took me 24 hours into my third 28-hour shift to admit to my peers that I was tired, I felt much more supported when I realized that everyone else was exhausted, too.

4. Make work enjoyable. Find something about work that you love. Rather than just knowing a patient’s symptoms or disease, I enjoy asking all of my patients what they like to do for fun. I find that we often have similar interests!

5. Be your own patient. Follow your own advice. Eat fruits and vegetables, limit alcohol, get enough sleep and exercise regularly. How can you care for others if you can’t care for yourself?  I regularly try to eat three balanced meals a day, snack on fruit and drink at least two 16 ounce bottles of water while at work.

6. Sleep. Sometimes you just need to go to bed. Stop thinking, stop arguing, stop crying. Things will look better in the morning.  When I am trying to study and find myself reading the same paragraph over and over again, I put away my things and make myself get some sleep. I’ll find time to read it when I’m refreshed.

7. Appreciate small moments of success. Be pleased about minor accomplishments in your daily routine that might go unnoticed. I feel successful even when I do something as simple as getting a frustrated patient to smile.

8. Stop negativity. Remember that you are your harshest critic. When I make mistakes, I correct them, learn from them and move on. I know that I will have several more attempts in the future to get things right on the first try.

9. Exercise. Have a dog, or pretend that you have a dog, and take yourself for walks regularly. You need sunshine, nature and exercise too. I have two dogs that take me for walks every day.

10. Relax and breathe. Recognize that you are confident, competent, and intelligent and that you are making a difference in so many people’s lives. Each day that you work as a doctor is an incredible opportunity. Never take it for granted. Whenever I’m tired, overworked or sad because I’m missing a family event, I remind myself of this and realize how glad I am to be in medicine.

Jessica Deslauriers is an internal medicine resident.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Prev

Physicians: Listen to voices of the past. And learn.

January 3, 2016 Kevin 0
…
Next

How partnering with urgent care created a dream primary care job

January 3, 2016 Kevin 65
…

Tagged as: Residency

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Physicians: Listen to voices of the past. And learn.
Next Post >
How partnering with urgent care created a dream primary care job

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

  • 4 essential tips for residency interviews

    Vivy Tran, MD
  • 8 tips to land the residency of your dreams

    Cory Fawcett, MD and Eric Brown
  • 12 tips to help you survive residency

    Priyanka Jain, MD
  • 10 tips for surviving and thriving throughout your partner’s residency

    Nashira Pearl
  • Residency training, and training in residency

    Michelle Meyer, MD
  • Why residency applications need to change

    Sean Kiesel, DO, MBA

More in Education

  • Why medical student debt is killing primary care in America

    Alexander Camp
  • Why the pre-med path is pushing future doctors to the brink

    Jordan Williamson, MEd
  • Graduating from medical school without family: a story of strength and survival

    Anonymous
  • 2 hours to decide my future: Why the NRMP’s SOAP process is broken

    Nicolette V. S. Sewall, MD, MPH
  • What led me from nurse practitioner to medical school

    Sarah White, APRN
  • Bridging the rural surgical care gap with rotating health care teams

    Ankit Jain
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

      Noah Weinberg | Conditions
    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
    • Why medicine must stop worshipping burnout and start valuing humanity

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why screening for diseases you might have can backfire

      Andy Lazris, MD and Alan Roth, DO | Physician
    • How organizational culture drives top talent away [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why perinatal mental health is the top cause of maternal death in the U.S.

      Sheila Noon | Conditions
    • Why medical student debt is killing primary care in America

      Alexander Camp | Education

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 7 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • How community paramedicine impacts Indigenous elders

      Noah Weinberg | Conditions
    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
    • How to speak the language of leadership to improve doctor wellness [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
  • Past 6 Months

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • Here’s what providers really need in a modern EHR

      Laura Kohlhagen, MD, MBA | Tech
    • What the world must learn from the life and death of Hind Rajab

      Saba Qaiser, RN | Conditions
    • How medical culture hides burnout in plain sight

      Marco Benítez | Conditions
  • Recent Posts

    • Would The Pitts’ Dr. Robby Robinavitch welcome a new colleague? Yes. Especially if their initials were AI.

      Gabe Jones, MBA | Tech
    • Why medicine must stop worshipping burnout and start valuing humanity

      Sarah White, APRN | Conditions
    • Why screening for diseases you might have can backfire

      Andy Lazris, MD and Alan Roth, DO | Physician
    • How organizational culture drives top talent away [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why perinatal mental health is the top cause of maternal death in the U.S.

      Sheila Noon | Conditions
    • Why medical student debt is killing primary care in America

      Alexander Camp | Education

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

10 tips to make residency more enjoyable
7 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...