Residency Survival Tips for New Interns (my 2 cents)

I am an international medical graduate (IMG) and migrated to the US for my residency. 

I remember the first day I arrived to my residency program (6 years ago). Having had challenges with obtaining my visa from Nigeria early enough, I arrived in New York City stressed that I was later than my peers (different story altogether). 

Orientation had started and I struggled against time to get through paper work and signatures before obtaining my residency ID just in time for my shift. 

Without a stable accommodation at the time, I lived in a hotel for a full week before I secured a sub-lease from a mutual friend who was moving out. Navigating all those while trying to settle for a challenging residency was not easy.

Clinically, I didn’t think I was ready too. As an older graduate, who had been out of clinical practice for a few years, I was a little rusty compared with my intern counterparts, most of whom had graduated.

I had to ‘brush up’ my medical knowledge, presentation skills and procedures a lot

It was definitely tough and required me to invest extra time but it helped in the end

Migrating to a different country and learning a new place and system won’t be easy but can be done.

Here’s my 2 cents of advice:

• Have a growth mindset if you don’t already have one. I knew I had a gap but also knew I had to learn to close my gap. Never think you already know enough. There’s always a WHOLE lot more to learn

• Spend the time studying ahead of time. You not only become smarter, you sound smarter when you speak with your attendings. Read up every case you see.

• Show up to work early. You don’t want to struggle with few minutes trying to catch up on a patient’s overnight events.

• Practice your presentations. Do it multiple times until your presentation flows. I graduated for medical school years ago and worked in non-training clinical and non-clinical settings before I began residency. I had not done presentations in a while so I practiced so many times. Quick tip: As an attending now, I love when residents present without paper jots.  

• Chose any opportunity for presentation in huge crowds. It’ll make you improve. Remember to eat when food is offered during conferences

• Ask and ask again. You only learn when you ask. No question is a bad question (actually scratch that). It’s a bad question if you could easily find it by doing a little research. So, do your research first, then ask for more explanations.

•  Focus on the patient, listen to the patient, advocate for the patient. It willl always be patients first then electronic medical records later. 

• Make the nurses your best friends. They’ll teach you A WHOLE LOT. Remember they’ve done this more than you have and they have trained a lot of residents before you.

• Get a MENTOR if you do not already have one. They make your journey easier and shorter. Aim for someone already on a path you plan to take. If you don’t find that in your program, ask for recommendations from your other attendings

• Find your support and your residency family. You’ll need a shoulder to lean and cry on. You’ll also need that group to relax and unwind

• Celebrate everything when you can. Even if you have to celebrate on a smaller scale over night shifts.

• See the City you live in.
  • Don’t be the resident who got stuck in the hospital and had no fun and didn’t see the city. I did residency in NYC and I definitely saw the big apple.

• Make a lot of memories whereever you are.

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