Ways To Surviving Medical residency

Medical residency is tough. And surviving 3 or even 5 years of medical residency can really get on your nerves. In fact, you will be tired emotionally, physically and mentally. But this doesn’t mean you wouldn’t enroll yourself in it. Right? 

Building a career in the medical field requires you to go through medical residency. And the results of this program is often rewarding and fruitful. So here’s to never giving up during medical residency and learning how to survive it. 

But first, let’s learn something about medical residency.  

What is the duration of the Medical Residency? 

Medical residency is a minimum of three years of the program for primary care physicians. But it can last for 5 years for some surgical specialties. Moreover, some specialties require more years of training in addition to the normal duration i.e. 3 to 5 years of medical residency.  

Build an optimistic mindset - 

The first year of medical residency is the hardest. Most of the people don’t know what’s happening around them. Moreover, it is so easy to get sucked into the whirlpool of negativity during your initial days in the hospital. Therefore, it’s extremely important to build a positive mindset. Also, staying patient during the first couple of years of training really pays off. 

Seek support - Almost every aspiring medical student works hard to beat the competition and become no. 1. This often makes their schedule stressful and busy, and they eventually lose touch with their friends and family. But it is important to build and maintain relationships during your medical residency training to survive, thrive and enjoy residency. 

Don’t neglect your physical and mental health. Let’s the fact it, health is wealth. And medical students are no exception. Of course, there’s a lot of pressure on medical students, especially during their residency training. But this doesn’t mean you have to neglect your mental and physical health. Addressing demanding call schedules, residents typically sleep too little, eat badly and don’t find time for exercise. It’s important to maintain your health. Follow the advice you would give to your own patients about self-care. Make sure you find a good family doctor for yourself if needed.

Know your rights. Read your hospital contract/collective agreement along with duties and benefits, training needs, illness, and maternity/paternity leaves. Most residents are unaware of their rights (including harassment issues), but these protocols are usually delineated in contracts.

Keep the above-mentioned points in mind to survive and perform in the best way possible during your medical residency training.