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medpundit |
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Tuesday, July 01, 2003In the United States, doctors often mention the July Phenomenon. In England its counterpart is called the "killing season" -- the time in high summer when turning up in a teaching hospital is said to be dangerous. July is when medical school graduates are assigned to teaching hospitals and begin to practice. Some people figure that these interns, or first-year residents, will never know less than during their first month on the job and that if they are going to make huge mistakes, this is the likeliest time. But the reality, at least for patients, is much different: The only problem is, only a few studies have investigated the July Phenomenon. And not a single one that I can find has established a link between bad outcomes for patients and the time of year the patient was treated. Death rates were not shown to be higher in July than at other times. The same held true in England, where it's not in July but in August that residents begin to practice. It is a nerve-wracking time if you’re a new resident. New job, new routine, new responsibilities - and, oh, what responsibilities. But, it’s also a time when senior residents and attendings are on their guard. They don’t yet have a feel for the competency of the new residents, so they put in longer hours and are more likely to double check the interns’ work. Like anyone would with a new employee. posted by Sydney on 7/01/2003 07:40:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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