Scut Monkey

Scut Monkey is a term often used to describe new medical students and as they begin their clinical rotations (often after the first two years of a four-year medical program). It can also be applied to new residents who are rotating off-service. How the word scut entered medical jargon over 40 years ago is unclear. While a "scut" is defined in the dictionary as the short erect tail of a hare, many consider it an acronym for “some common unfinished task” or “some clinically useful training.”

"Scut" in the medical training vernacular covers menial tasks that are critical to the proper care of patients (i.e., looking up laboratory data, calling to schedule tests, gathering supplies before a bedside procedure). These tasks often fall to the medical student assigned to work with attending physicians or interns and residents. It is also often used to describe the less important tasks of dictating and filling out paperwork.

At different medical centers the slang for a new clinical medical student, who may be the most junior member of a team caring for hospitalized patients, may be “scut boy” or “scut dog.” It is not considered a derogatory comment but an insiders' term acknowledging that a medical student has entered the world of clinical hands-on training under the guidance of more senior physicians. The "Scut Monkey Book" is the unofficial title of a book published by McGraw-Hill known as the "Clinician's Pocket Reference".