Intern Bootcamp: The First Day

Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast

Science, Health & Fitness, Medicine, Education

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 June 2025

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

RE-RELEASE
This was first published in 2023 but it's so good we are running it back!

Buckle up, PGY-1’s! Intern year is starting whether you’re ready or not. Don’t fret, BTK has your back to make sure you dominate the first year of residency.

First up, the first day of intern year.

Hosts: Shanaz Hossain, Nina Clark

Tips for new interns:

BRING WHAT YOU NEED
1. Name badge
2. Scrubs, white coat, and extra clinic clothes
3. Comfortable shoes - even on clinic days
4. Pager
5. Phone
6. Pen
7. Bonus stuff that’s good to keep in your bag: Snacks, extras of everything, toothbrusth/toothpaste/deodorant, suture
STAY ORGANIZED
1. Preround purposefully and systematically
  1. Look at the same things in the same order every day on every patient
  2. Write data in the same physical location on your sheet so you can quickly find information on the fly
2. Keep track of to-do’s from rounds
  1. Check box system:
    1. Nina’s system: empty = not done, half full = ordered/needs follow up, full = completely done and followed up on
    2. Don’t forget to look at the results of imaging studies, labs, or consults after they are entered!
  2. Prioritize urgent/emergent things first, then consults and discharges, then routine orders, then notes
    1. As you get more efficient, start drafting your notes as you pre-round – it will save you lots of time later in the afternoon!
OWN THE FLOOR
1. During the day, be ready to shift your priorities as urgent issues arise.
2. Develop a system for remembering what happened after rounds so you can quickly update seniors
  1. Shanaz’s system: One color for AM rounds, a different color for afternoon events
3. Load the boat! Your team is there to help you. If you are concerned about someone or have a question, ask. There is truly no better time than as an intern.
  1. Master the art of getting your seniors’ attention in the OR - be conscientious, be clear in what you’re asking, and be prepared to report back about urgent findings!

Please visit https://behindtheknife.org to access other high-yield surgical education podcasts, videos and more.

If you liked this episode, check out our new how-to video series on suture and knot-tying skills - https://behindtheknife.org/video-playlists/btk-suture-practice-kit-knot-tying-simulator-how-to-videos/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Behind the Night, the Surgery Podcast, relevant and engaging content designed to help you
0:11.6	dominate the day. TVTK listeners, the weather's getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and that can only mean one thing.
0:27.3	It's time for new interns to hit the hospital.
0:29.7	Don't worry, though.
0:30.5	We've got your back.
0:31.4	I'm Nina Clark.
0:32.3	And I'm Janaz Hussain.
0:33.4	And this series will give you some practical tips and tricks for dominating your intern year.
0:38.0	Shanaz, I thought all interns needed to know in surgery was E when you can, sleep when you can,
0:44.0	and don't f*** with a pancreas. I mean, that's a pretty good starting point, but I think there's
0:48.9	probably a few more lessons that we learned during our intern years that we can impart on these
0:53.2	fresh interns. How did your first day of intern year go to Do you, it's been so long. I'm just like thinking back to my own. I just changed my email signature today to Nina Clark, PGY5, general surgery resident, which felt very, very old. That were my value. I changed mine too. PGGY5. It's crazy. It's kind of alarming.
1:14.4	Yeah, my intern, my first day, I was on our hepatobiliary service and I was so lost and
1:20.5	disorganized in this really complicated liver tumor clinic that the clinic staff actually gave me a
1:26.0	lunch out of pities.
1:31.3	And there's a picture floating around somewhere in our program where I look like I'm about to have a mental breakdown with a sandwich and a cookie next to my pager on the
1:34.9	Descan clinic.
1:38.0	Oh, man.
1:39.2	I don't have that from the first day of the year.
1:42.7	I remember my intern year.
1:43.5	I have a picture of me with my hands
1:45.5	full of Coke and chips left over from a lunch talk, like wandering back to the room in our work
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.