pleasing the passive-aggressive attending

[prn2oblivion]

I'm on my Neurology rotation, and I was hoping on getting a LOR from my current attending because I want to match neuro next year.

The problem is that he is !extremely! passive-aggressive. He does not acknowledge my presence! No good mornings, he just walks into an exam room and expects me to be there. Every day ends with 2 words: "Go home!" If I try to walk next to him, he walks faster!!! When he does interact with me, it's usually attack me and point out fault, whether it exists OR NOT! When he asks a question and I'm right, I'm never right enough. When I ask him a question, he makes it a point to tell me I asked because I am unknowledgable. Lately, he's been pawning me off to other specialties. I spent the whole day today doing outpatient cardiology.

At the end of the day today he told me he is "extremely unsatisfied" with my level of interest for Neurology. Me?? You just made me do cards all day! I can't get off a full sentence without him biting my head off. I can't ask questions without him making me look like an idiot. I'm lucky to spend 2 days a week with him because he's pawning me off. Is this situation at all salvageable? What do I do to show I am interested?

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[OncoticPressure]

I'm on my Neurology rotation, and I was hoping on getting a LOR from my current attending because I want to match neuro next year.

The problem is that he is !extremely! passive-aggressive. He does not acknowledge my presence! No good mornings, he just walks into an exam room and expects me to be there. Every day ends with 2 words: "Go home!" If I try to walk next to him, he walks faster!!! When he does interact with me, it's usually attack me and point out fault, whether it exists OR NOT! When he asks a question and I'm right, I'm never right enough. When I ask him a question, he makes it a point to tell me I asked because I am unknowledgable. Lately, he's been pawning me off to other specialties. I spent the whole day today doing outpatient cardiology.

At the end of the day today he told me he is "extremely unsatisfied" with my level of interest for Neurology. Me?? You just made me do cards all day! I can't get off a full sentence without him biting my head off. I can't ask questions without him making me look like an idiot. I'm lucky to spend 2 days a week with him because he's pawning me off. Is this situation at all salvageable? What do I do to show I am interested?

Do yourself a favor and don't get a letter from this attending.

Does he even know you want to go into neurology?

 

[prn2oblivion]

Yes, I told him at the very beginning because I thought that it would help a little bit. He told me that I have a lot to learn but hasn't brought it up since.

 

[prn2oblivion]

A classmate told me he has a tough personality to deal with, but he was able to get an outstanding LOR from him. His comments about me lacking enthusiasm and recent days spent doing cardiology and radiology instead of neurology scare me. I'm still half-way though, so I'm hoping I can do something to turn the corner.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Maybe he is pawning you off so you become more well rounded? Much of neurology is having a great foundation in internal medicine and it's branches because many aspects of things going wrong in the rest of the body can affect the patient mentally.

Difficult call. Sometimes you have to cut your losses. I was one of those who had straight A's on rotations. Then I had a real ass in Internal Medicine who didn't think women should be in medicine and didn't have any use for me since I had kids, etc and I would be his 24/7 on call "girl". He hated me, I hated him. He bought me coffee on the last day, told me I would never pass the boards and never make it through residency, and he questioned my commitment to medicine. Seriously?

Anyhow, he passed me with a 71 (LECOM requires a 70). I took my eval straight to the head of the rotations office, told them I did not accept my rotation grade from a very sexist individual and left it at that. They rounded up my grade to match my others so it didn't bring down my GPA.

Another time I was place with a Ph.D. psychologist in a private office for my psych rotation. The guy saw me on Monday and gave me the DSM IV and a drug book and said to memorize the entire thing and he would see me on friday. The worst week of my life. On friday I was taken to a nursing home and he stacked a ton of charts on the counter and said "here you go". And do what? Basically he wanted me to do his rounds when I had never done that before!!!! Needless to say it went downhill from that, I was told that I would never pass, blah, blah, blah. I got the hell out of there, changed rotations and ended up doing inpatient psych at the hospital and got an A. I had the original guy taken off the rotation list and made sure I let the entire student body be aware of that guy.

Don't be afraid to let the rotation office know about bad things and events that are unfair. They are there to teach you, not use you for personal servitude that may endanger patients since you are still a student.

Good luck. Protect your interest. It may all turn out good in the end or it could tank worse than you can imagine. Be interested to see what happens.

 

[gro2001]

In fact, it would probably be a good idea to bring up your concerns with your clerkship co-ordinator now. If you don't complain till you see his evaluation at the end of the rotation, it may look like you are trying to find excuses for poor performance. Since you have genuine concerns about the fairness of his assessment of you from now, make it known and on record with your school.

 

[peppy]

This sounds to me like someone who just doesn't enjoy teaching and has a bad attitude towards students. I don't think it's appropriate for him to be sending you off with other specialties. This rotation is your time to learn NEUROLOGY, not rads or cards. I'd definitely talk to your school about this and see if they can set you up with someone else.
I know it must be really disappointing to have this happen on a rotation you're interested in specializing in. I'd start planning on getting a letter from someone else. Maybe ask around to see where a good place to do a neuro away rotation would be.
Hope you're able to get something set up.

 

[myhandsarecold]

don't give him the satisfaction of being asked for a letter. personally, i only ask people that i think highly of and whose opinions i value. your professor is the type of people who cause me to max out my sick days and take excessively long strolls around the hospital until the entire ordeal is over. ask someone else, goodluck!

 

[powermd]

This is an easy call. Finish the rotation and forget about him. But do some reading on personality disorders (and how to interact with them)- you are bound to encounter many among your future attendings and patients. Based on what you wrote he sounds very insecure, and likely beats on medical students to feel superior to someone. Move on, but find out the back story on your next neuro attending before signing up for the rotation.

 

[gman33]

Sometimes you get unlucky and get stuck working with an ass.
Usually I'd just say to do your best and not worry about your grade etc.
The problem is that getting a poor grade in the field you won't to go into is a problem. Talk to your clerkship director and try to get reassigned. Hopefully this attending is not that person.

 

[Gastrapathy]

Ask to switch attendings. Do not ask for a letter. You've been written off.