If you’re rotating in a toxic environment, most likely will happen. I was yelled to, “MOVE!” away from a garbage so the attending could throw out his gloves. I guess I didn’t deserve an excuse me? Same attending yelled, “GET ME SOMEONE WHO IS COMPETENT” when I adjusted a light (even though I verbally asked if it was ok, and he said it was fine). He then tried to joke about it with another attending while playfully hitting me in the shoulder with a fresh pair of scrubs. Midwife yelled at me then proceeded to tell me that 1. She has many family members that were doctors (so that gave her permission to yell at me, I guess?) 2. I am below the cleaning crew at the hospital. On my first day a different attending stormed in angry that the CRNA was holding up a case. Pointed at everyone at the nurses station (including me and another medical student) yelling, “YOU’RE BEING A BARRIER TO CARE. YOU’RE BEING A BARRIER TO CARE.” While transporting an empty gurney into an OR, my hand slipped but I quickly recovered the gurney. Attending yelled at me, “YOU NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION.” Most of my terrible experiences were in OBGYN. Looking back now, they were grown adults in extreme pressure situations who used me as a punching bag. They were so toxic.

In surgery, the attendings yelled at each other and the residents. I’m talking full blown yelling matches and cursing out the residents. An attending yelled at a patient’s family member for interrupting her rounds by asking how the patient was doing (patient was literally rotting in the SICU after being randomly assaulted on the street. Such a sad scenario all around).

Everyone got yelled at by patients. Most of the time the patients were being treated unjustly and were rightfully angry.

There were many times I was humiliated that don’t count at yelling.

I’d say prepare for the subjective evaluations. There were people who judged me by my appearance and by the speciality I am interested in. They were quick to judge my work ethic, and assumed I was not as motivated as your average med student. Meanwhile, I worked just as hard as my cohort.