Hi Dr. Julius,
I read your article on the struggling radiology resident, and it prompted me to contact you. I am an R1 and just finished my first week on Body CT. After this week, I feel panicked and have been attempting to study almost every chance I get, including all day during the weekend. Still, I think I cannot possibly learn all this information (just the anatomy base I need has worried me). I know it is still early, but my colleagues are way more relaxed and comfortable in their current roles than I am. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions you have for me.
Thank you so much for this article and your help,
A Concerned Resident
Answer:
Detailing The Problem
To begin, I want to stress that your colleagues who appear as if they are more relaxed and comfortable may be putting on their best face, but they may be panicking too. It can be challenging to tell how another resident or colleague feels. Regardless of how they appear, it would help if you didn’t worry about them. Instead, you must ensure you are doing your best instead of panicking.
I don’t care what anyone says. The first weeks of the first year of radiology are some of the toughest. Anyone who doesn’t think so is in for a big surprise later. It’s good to have a little bit of fear at the beginning. It can motivate a new resident to become great. Excessive fear, however, is no good. You certainly don’t want a fight or flight response!!! Or, you can burn yourself out before you’ve even started. That will make you make you sick.
Also, I think body CT can be one of the more difficult rotations to feel comfortable with, especially at the beginning. Some of the personalities can often be difficult in that field. And, there is more anatomy to know than you may have imagined. This large amount of anatomical information is more so than other subspecialties like nuclear medicine. Plus, you have to start to get to know the pathologies on top of that. So, I know you are in a tough spot.
Solving The Panicking Problem
But alas, there is a solution. I find that the best way to deal with a challenging situation, like the beginning of the first year of radiology, is to establish a reasonable plan of attack. You and I know you cannot know everything. Albeit, many of your attendings may make you feel that way. (you have to try to tune that nonsense out.) However, you can learn what you need to know to become a trusted first-year resident. The key here is to study smartly. Certain books are geared to the first-year resident. For instance, the Webb Body CT book is a great and short resource to learn the basics of body CT scans. You need to concentrate on these.
In addition, the reading style in radiology differs significantly from what you have been learning. Make sure to read the pictures first, the captions next, and then the text last. This strategy will give you the most bang for your buck when reading radiology. Once you have the basics down of a modality within the first week or two, I would also emphasize reading the case review series. Radiology is about pictures. So, why would you not want to emphasize the images? Memorizing lists is daunting and usually not very fruitful without context. Looking at a bunch of pictures makes a list more relevant and memorable. This technique will leave you less prone to panicking. Try to study in this manner.
Also, I would recommend you look at my article on taking oral cases. Handling cases with oral technique is readily transferable to your day-to-day radiology activities. If you can do that well, your colleagues and attendings will appreciate your intelligent assessments more.
In any case, let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. With a bit of change in the study method and trying not to worry about how others look compared to you during your first year (which can make you crazy), I think you can do just fine.
Barry Julius
_______________________________________________________________
Hi Dr. Julius,
Thank you so much for reaching out to me with your advice. I am doing my best to stay positive and study hard. I will let you know how it goes. Thank you!!!
Best wishes,
A Concerned Resident
————————————————————————————————————-
It takes some time to get into the routine. Good luck with it!!!
