High school student wants to "intern" with me

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised a high school student is allowed to "intern" with you unless she's already 18 (due to HIPAA).

[Anonymous]

Hey OP, fellow ER doc here. Unless you've got resident coverage in your shop or really great staffing, you're going to spend loads of time managing this student while still trying to see patients. I don't know how you feel about that, but I hate having students on my shoulder for 8-10 hours at a time, especially since you're bound to get at least a handful of pretty sick patients per shift. I'm all for teaching (we all got here somehow) but the nebulous "I'll just come shadow you" offer usually is a nightmare.

I hear you about not wanting to be a curmudgeon...I have days when I feel guilty for not teaching the residents/students more, but honestly if this girl is looking to go into medicine her social skills need a make-over. Don't let her become that annoying med student we all want to strangle (you know the one). Offer her a set educational experience, limit it to 2-4 weeks, 1-2 days/week, and give her a few choices on days. Your choices, not hers, and she can pick one.

For those asking about Mondays: The stuff that makes Mondays busy are the "emergencies" that have been brewing all weekend but people didn't want to come in on their day off: knee pain, coughs/colds, rashes. Monday rolls around, they have to go to work, and they decide that they need to be looked at. I write a lot of work notes on Mondays.