SUGGESTIONS FOR

  The Successful Medical Service Attending 

·                     Please review the curriculum at the beginning of the rotation. 

·                     Meet with your team as the month begins or on the first day at the latest. 

·                     Write down your expectations of the supervising resident, junior resident, sub-intern and junior residents.  Inform of these expectations. 

·                     Provide feedback during and at the end of the rotation 

·                     Encourage a low threshold for involving you.  You should be notified of very ill patients that are not routine or well understood, change of significance, deaths, angry or very frightened family members. 

·                     Expect a list of patients daily with important changes noted. 

·                     See special care unit, unstable, or angry patients as frequently as possible.  Upset families should receive special attention from the attending. 

·                     Have the residents document daily your involvement in the case in the medical record in addition to your own notes. 

·                     Request autopsies and go with team. 

·                     Set a time or establish a schedule for meeting/rounds with the team. 

·                     Provide personal feedback in the middle and at the end of rotation.  This is crucial and appreciated. 

·                     Demonstrate findings at the bedside.  Take a history – the team will learn from your methods.  Look at pathology specimens with the team. 

·                     Do not assume that even an advanced resident is fully developed.  All will profit from what you may consider as a given.  Tell them your thoughts and ideas. 

·                     The Chief Resident, Shawn Groves, MD, the faculty and I are there to assist. 

·                     Do not allow consultants to write orders other than for procedures and do not let consultants consult consultants.  This is an accreditation body (RRC) absolute requirement.

·                     I pick some essential topics, present a case and discuss it daily.  It only takes ten minutes of preparation.