MD Just got caught lying on rotation - how screwed am I?

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NeurologyHopeful2018

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I am on my last week of pediatric rotation - super burned out and shelf exam is this Friday. I sent out an e-mail to the clerkship coordinator that I have another school responsibility, and couldn't make it to the mandatory 3 hour didactic. This "responsibility" was a lie so I can have time off to study, but I didn't think she would follow up on it - but she did - and now she sent an e-mail with a "high importance" flag asking me to meet with the clerkship director. I have no other disciplinary or professionalism issues in med school - how severe is this? Is this serious enough to warrant an F in the clerkship? Expulsion from medical school? Grades being lowered one level? I am super nervous and is mortified.

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I am on my last week of pediatric rotation - super burned out and shelf exam is this Friday. I sent out an e-mail to the clerkship coordinator that I have another school responsibility, and couldn't make it to the mandatory 3 hour didactic. This "responsibility" was a lie so I can have time off to study, but I didn't think she would follow up on it - but she did - and now she sent an e-mail with a "high importance" flag asking me to meet with the clerkship director. I have no other disciplinary or professionalism issues in med school - how severe is this? Is this serious enough to warrant an F in the clerkship? Expulsion from medical school? Grades being lowered one level? I am super nervous and is mortified.

Maybe. but it's too late now. be ready to apologize and beg for mercy.
 
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I wouldn't try to explain anything you aren't asked about...perhaps what you're worried about isn't even on their radar. Remember, self-criticism is always your best friend w/admins anyways in case you're asked to explain anything. If this issue you're concerned about comes up, perhaps just say you were very burned out/anxious and needed some time to yourself that day, and you weren't willing to admit that to her in the email, and then say that won't happen again and be super apologetic. Hope that is at least somewhat helpful. I really wouldn't worry about it if I were you because at this point you don't even know what this meeting's about; just remember to be self-reflective and not defensive. Best of luck!
 
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Try and get an appointment with your health and wellness people.
 
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This situation was completely avoidable - hopefully is it a strong lesson learned. There is no room for dishonesty in medicine. Burnout is real and I think people would have been understanding and supportive of the tough time you are going through. You will get through it though so long as you address it.

Try and get a last minute appointment with your health and wellness people on Friday. Would bolster your claim about burnout and also give you a place to be.

I would recommend against this, this is not the time to dig yourself into a deeper hole and try to sneak in an appointment. It would be beneficial to have an appointment scheduled for some time in the future prior to meeting with your clerkship director to show them that you are immediately taking steps to address the issue. Trying to squeeze it in before Friday and act like you had it all along is not advisable.
 
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Not recommending to lie about when you scheduled it. "I've been feeling burnt out. I wanted to see someone ahead of the shelf but didn't want it to conflict with my clinical duties. I contacted the clerkship coordinator to arrange for an excused absence during didactics so I could set up an appointment with health&wellness." I think it's reasonable to say that you weren't comfortable telling the clerkship coordinator that you wanted to see a psychologist for urgent needs and just used the blanket "mandatory school activity" line.

Yet this, too, would be a lie. First rule for pulling yourself out of a hole - stop digging.
 
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Anything from a slap on the risk to failing the clerkship would be within the realm of reasonable possibility. I think expulsion is unlikely and would be an unfair punishment. My only recommendation is accept responsibility, demonstrate remorse, and hope for leniency. Dishonesty is looked upon quite unfavorably in medicine
 
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Not that I condone it, but I'm surprised you would go with the "school responsibility" angle rather than just take a sick day.

I think honesty is the best policy here (as in most cases), but still try to paint yourself in the best, most sympathetic light.
 
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Highly unlikely you'll get expelled. I don't think you'll fail the rotation unless you weren't liked during it.

But still that was a terrible excuse, you could of planned that a lot better. In the grand scheme of things, many other med students probably do/get away with stuff way worse than this though. If a medical student asked me to study for the shelf I would have been like "sure, go work hard". But lying to someone is insulting, especially if the lie is a bad lie because then you're basically assuming the other person is dumb/lazy and won't question you.

Most of the time, it's better to just be honest/real with people and you're likely to earn respect enough to ask for study time
 
I'm not telling you to do this, but someone could potentially make an emergency doctor appointment then tell the school that you made that excuse because something embarrassing is going on and you didn't think they'd follow up. Back it up with the appointment slip
 
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just curious, how should OP have handled the situation properly in the first place?

i feel like you can't get out of something by saying that you feel burned, can you?
 
Could have took a sick day, my mom taught me growing up that days off from school were needed as mental health days
 
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I'm not telling you to do this, but someone could potentially make an emergency doctor appointment then tell the school that you made that excuse because something embarrassing is going on and you didn't think they'd follow up. Back it up with the appointment slip
awful idea. More dishonesty is the fix? Really?
 
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This situation was completely avoidable - hopefully is it a strong lesson learned. There is no room for dishonesty in medicine. Burnout is real and I think people would have been understanding and supportive of the tough time you are going through. You will get through it though so long as you address it.
.

Everybody knows this, and yet, in my experience, anybody that uses this excuse ends up being ostracized. At our school, this is the surest way to get a big ol' "**** you" on your dean's letter.
 
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Anything less than expulsion here is a win. Take yer whoopin' and say thank you
 
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just curious, how should OP have handled the situation properly in the first place?

i feel like you can't get out of something by saying that you feel burned, can you?
OP should have gone to the required activity.

Alternatively, depending on the schools sick day policy, OP could have had a terrible migraine with photosensitivity and nausea. Most places don't require a doctors note for one missed day, and that's one that is super common and impossible to objectively (dis-)prove.

Calling in sick is normal. Making up a non-existent required school event is not.
 
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just curious, how should OP have handled the situation properly in the first place?

i feel like you can't get out of something by saying that you feel burned, can you?

Say you're feeling sick, say you had a family emergency, say you had a personal emergency (car broke down or something). I'm not advocating lying, but saying you had a school-related obligation as an excuse to get out of a school-related obligation is pretty stupid.

Depending on the setting of the didactics, OP should have brought ear buds or something and studied during them. He/she didn't need to necessarily say they felt burnt out. OP could have written an e-mail to the coordinator saying he/she feels completely unprepared for the shelf in spite of studying hard and would like to ask for some time off to ensure they pass. It would be even better if OP also made an appointment with the learning specialist to ask for help. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but it's a far better option than what OP actually did. Especially since what OP did comes off as "this student didn't feel like attending didactics so they lied to get out of it", which is basically what actually happened.
 
I am on my last week of pediatric rotation - super burned out and shelf exam is this Friday. I sent out an e-mail to the clerkship coordinator that I have another school responsibility, and couldn't make it to the mandatory 3 hour didactic. This "responsibility" was a lie so I can have time off to study, but I didn't think she would follow up on it - but she did - and now she sent an e-mail with a "high importance" flag asking me to meet with the clerkship director. I have no other disciplinary or professionalism issues in med school - how severe is this? Is this serious enough to warrant an F in the clerkship? Expulsion from medical school? Grades being lowered one level? I am super nervous and is mortified.

1. I always tell myself that 3 hours of independent study > 3-hour didactic but real life usually proves me wrong.
2. Email the clerkship director (is she the she you're referring to because you say she and then repeat "the clerkship director" later) telling her you don't want to waste her time and that you lied point blank but will agree with her to discuss the consequences and then beg for mercy.
 
OP, while I agree that a sick day excuse may have worked better, one thing is paramount to remember. Whatever you do going forward, make sure it does not involve lies or ruses. You do not want this behavior to be seen as a pattern in your training. Honesty in medicine is not taken lightly and for good reason. Take responsibility for your actions and don't place yourself in this situation again. I hope that your situation works out, good luck in the future.
 
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