do you really think I have nothing better to do than go to mandatory sessions?

This one is for you, "anonymous!" because that last one really was also for you. You also gave me the inspiration for this latest blog. Something else I'd forgotten I hated about medical school: mandatory sessions and evaluations. It's like they didn't think I was doing anything with my time, so had to fill up any little bits of freetime with extra sessions. Why do they do this? To torture me. I know it is a plot against me. Seriously though, why do they make everything so freaking difficult? And none of it seems to even matter. At my school we used to have "communications" session, where we had a difficult topic and had to do an interview with a standardized patient to learn how to talk about these difficult issues. I actually kind of enjoyed these sessions, except for the fact that they were ALWAYS the same week as a test. No matter how many time we filled out evaluations BEGGING them to switch days that never changed. I'm not sure how many nasty evaluations I filled out "please schedule these sessions, which are very helpful to our medical education, when we don't have a test the next day so we can actually feel like we are learning and not dreading being there." But alas, no change. At least those sessions were worth my time. I learned something, most of the time. There was the odd time that the facilitator felt he needed to give really specific feedback. Never again will I ask for specific feedback. Seriously this guy wrote down EVERYTHING I said to the patient and then repeated it all to me and judged every sentence. Calm the fuck down dude, I want to go home. Other sessions you are literally sitting there wondering why anyone thinks any of this is important in any way. We had multiple sessions that were supposed to cover things that we don't really learn while in school. Like hospice care. Or medical billing. Or...nope those are the only two that were even remotely helpful. The others were just sessions where I sat there staring at the wall, wondering why I couldn't go home. Why? Because there might be a sign in sheet passed around, and if your name wasn't on it, there was hell to pay. How did people get through medical school before iPhones? Because without phone solitaire, facebook, and text messaging I would have died of boredom. Also it was nice to get the "get your ass to class there is a sign in sheet" message if you were running late and debating coming. "On my way!" haha. The worst, worst worst worst though are the small group sessions where your facilitator really feels the need to spend EVERY second of the allotted time. LET ME GO! I don't want to hear any more stories or tidbits of information. I want to go home and stare at the walls and hate my life in privacy. Thank you. Even in residency we have didactics/lectures, and sometimes you just want to strangle the facilitator so that he will shut up and stop speaking so you can go home. And that one person who keeps asking questions. "any last questions?" NO! Everyone shut the fuck up and start packing up, because once you get them started you know they won't stop! And while I can fall asleep in a large lecture hall, it's more difficult to get away with things when there are only four people in the room other than the speaker. They usually notice that shit. So some things haven't changed since medical school ended. One is my crazy ability to fall asleep at any lecture. Journal club? Why yes I do need a mid day nap. Grand rounds? I actually look forward to them as "naptime." Didactic? Fellow residents have to poke me and throw me gum to chew to keep me awake. Another thing that hasn't changed: my time being taken up by stupid ass "learning opportunities." that I'm sure someone out there finds helpful but I do not. And I will never ever get used to attendings that need to perseverate when I could be going home. Weekends are not time to be teaching! They are time to round and get the heck out of there. The end of the day? Stop talking I want to go home. I don't learn anything at those times. Please respect my need to get home. But nothing is as bad as medical school, that is for damned sure. I have very minimal complaints about residency, so stick with it friends. And go into psychiatry! That's the life :-) Good luck and good night everyone!