10 tips for new interns
I’m about to finish my last clinical hours as a Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture intern at Yo San University. I put together these ten tips to help make the transition smoother for future acupuncturists preparing to go into their final year in clinic. Interns past and present, please feel free to chime in with your suggestions.
1. Manage Your Time.
Time management is probably the toughest issue for most new interns. If there’s one thing you should focus on first, this would be it.
Wear a wristwatch and always be aware of how you are doing on time. Know when in the hour you need to get certain things done by. You have 1 hour for each patient and that hour includes intake, diagnosis, treatment plan, put in needles, leave them in, fill herbal prescription, take out needles, and clean up. It can be a little overwhelming at first, especially if something doesn’t go smoothly. You have to factor in if the patient comes late, if your supervisor is busy with another intern, if the patient has a complex condition that requires a more lengthy intake, if the patient needs to change, if you are doing cupping/moxa/tuina/Qi Gong, etc.
Getting your time management down will make everything else easier. You won’t feel as rushed. You have more time to think, relax and be who you are in the treatment room. And since you aren’t fighting against time, if something unexpected comes up, it’s not going to be a meltdown.
Intake and needling were the 2 things that slowed me down in the beginning. It’s important to focus during the intake and ask relevant questions. Read the patient’s file ahead of time, either before the shift starts or while you still have the previous patient “cooking” with the needles. Once you start seeing regulars, their intakes can be done very quickly.
As for needling, I used to take one needle at a time, insert, and repeat. It would take me 10-15 minutes to finish. When I started gripping the spare needles between the pinkie and ring fingers of my off-hand I cut my time by more than half. Free handing instead of using guide tubes also helped speed things up. As I became more familiar with locating points on the body, that also made things go faster.
2. Ask Questions.
You are going into your final year and this may be the last opportunity you get before you graduate and go off on your own. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Take notes. Figure out for yourself what works great and what don’t.
3. Trust your Intuition.
Work on your intuition while you are in the clinic. Our medicine is more than just treating the symptoms that are present. Sometimes the patient leaves out an important piece of information. Something tells you to needle a certain point. Practice seeing beyond what’s “there.” Use all your senses, including your 6th sense, to help you.
4. Look Professional.
As a medical professional, patients look to you to help take care of their health. This is a big responsibility. Be respectful of yourself and your patients by dressing the part. Looking professional helps leave a positive impression and builds trust. Have good hygiene, wear clean non-wrinkled clothes, and follow a professional looking dress code. Check out some of my tips in this blog for help.
5. Take Care of Yourself.
Eat well. Do self-cultivation. Get enough sleep. Have a life outside of school. You want to serve as a positive role model for your patients. If you are taking care of your health and your life, it will show. No words are needed to convey that to your patients. Your patients will respect you and be more compliant with your recommendations. You won’t get sick as easily. You’ll be more present. And when things do go crazy, you are able to stay centered and grounded.
6. Be fully present and confident.
Patients don’t get better with just your kickass acupuncture skillz alone. The energy you project and emanate is equally, if not more important. When you are able to connect with your patients, they will be more relaxed and open to the healing process. The last thing anyone wants when they are sick is a healer who is uncaring, not confident, or closed off.
Maintain a positive attitude, a good sense of humor, and a smile. Practice being compassionate, fully present and dedicated. Work on your listening skills. Maintain good eye contact. Your positive energy will raise theirs as oppose to theirs bringing yours down.
7. Get a good hand moisturizer.
You are going to be washing your hands a lot. They’re going to get dry. Invest in a good, travel size hand moisturizer that you can keep in your lab coat at all times. Whole Foods has a good selection. They have samples you can try. Find one that’s not too oily but also not too light. It shouldn’t be too fragrant either. I like the Kiss My Face stuff. EO is good too.
While you’re at it, get some good breath mints. I like the Tao of Wellness’s Frosties Crystals. Strong, effective and made with Chinese herbs!
8. Stay on top of your new patients.
Interns have trouble getting their new patient requirements done on time. We need 60 to graduate. I recommend getting started right away since it will only get harder and harder later when more repeat patients want to come back and see you.
If you are doing 5 shifts, block out at least 2-3 new patient slots per week. Get people you know to come in and see you. Call in those favors from friends. Practice promoting yourself. Start talking to anyone and everyone about the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine. Then close the deal. Give out your business card. Hand out discount coupons. Remember to have them come in to see you specifically.
It’s truly amazing the amount of pain and discomfort so many people put up with while not knowing what our medicine can do for them. It can dramatically improve people’s lives. With that in mind, why wouldn’t you be excited talking to other people about our medicine?
9. Do Externships
Externships are a great way to experience different settings in which we practice our medicine. You see patients you may rarely see at our clinic. For example, at Being Alive you treat HIV positive patients. Many of them have a history of drug use and other serious diseases. You also get to work with a really gifted supervisor. Carolyn Leigh is amazing. Intuitive, compassionate, and smart.
Over at the Venice Family clinic and the Venice Pain clinic, you treat a lot of pain cases. Dr. Kord uses mostly distal and scalp acupuncture to almost miraculous results. I’ve had patients with pain scales of 7-8 out of 10 walk out with pain completely gone. Dr. Wing brings a more balanced approach to acupuncture with excellent results as well.
You also get a lot of new patients through these externships, and you get to work on your time management as these environments are much faster paced. You’ll learn how to treat 2-3 patients an hour.
If you plan on working in a complementary environment with medical doctors, nurses, chiropractors, etc., experience at this externship sites will look great on your resume. These clinics are established and more easily recognized by other medical professionals than a place called “Yo San Clinic”.
10. Don’t Stress
Don’t expect to get everything right, especially on your first day or your first week. To take some of the stress away, I recommend asking your friends to book you when you first start.
Learning this medicine is a life long practice. Going into clinic as an intern is only the beginning. You will know what you know. Rely on your supervisors to help you. That’s why they are there. Be ok with not knowing an answer to a patient’s question. You will make mistakes. The most important thing is that you continue to learn, improve, and grow.
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