What is this feeling? A frustrated PGY2
I’m a PGY-2 interested in PCCM and so far I think I have handled a lot of high acuity situations really well and have earned the trust of my co-residents, attendings and seasoned nurses.
Just a couple weeks ago I felt the most in love with medicine in all of residency. High acuity patients and making complex decisions that really I could see play out and help the patient. I was loving the process itself of using physiology to explain a crashing patient. It was almost like a sort of high for me.
Then I was off service for two weeks on an elective that is the exact opposite of high acuity and I have zero interest in it. I felt like it was straight brain rot the whole time on elective. I came back to icu and can’t shake this feeling of my brain wheels just stuck and not turning. I find myself thinking and overthinking things I would have handled so easily a month ago. Like I suddenly lost brain power. It’s created a lot of self doubt and questioning my own competence.
Is it normal to feel like this when going from tough call schedule to elective? Is it icu withdrawal? Is it burnout?
What is this feeling??
Posted Apr 6, 2026, 1:27 PM UTC