July 1st, 2020
Dual Crises and the Call for Resident Unionization
Eric Bressman, MD
On March 20th, as the chaos of the unfolding pandemic enveloped New York City, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.10, which, among other directives, temporarily suspended work hour restrictions for medical residents in New York State. These regulations, which had been enacted 30 years prior, were the consequence of the journalist Sidney Zion’s well-publicized crusade […]
June 24th, 2020
Top 10 Tips for New Interns and Residents in the COVID Era
Frances Ue, MD, MPH
The month of June is traditionally an exciting time of transition across the country. A time where we welcome a new class of bright-eyed interns, and say goodbye to our senior graduates — who have become shining stars and leaders in our communities. This year, however, is unique, with the start of the new academic year […]
June 10th, 2020
Resident Wellness Doesn’t Need to Be Expensive or Elaborate
Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD
“We’re not like Stanford” she said to me as we sat next to each other during our breakout session. My cheeks reddened. Somehow, suddenly, I felt as if I became the embodiment of my entire institution. And my furrowed brow revealed my surprise. Her tone softened. “What I mean is, resident wellness is easier when the program […]
June 3rd, 2020
Will the Real Doctor Please Stand Up?
Allison Latimore, MD
I stood in the hospital elevator yawning and rubbing my eyes, waiting to get off on my floor. A woman looked over at me and said, “Congratulations.” I began to look over my body. Did I look pregnant in these scrubs? Did I have on my real engagement ring instead of my silicone ring? After […]
May 27th, 2020
Virtual Residency Recruitment in the Time of COVID
Prarthna Bhardwaj, MD
COVID-19 has undeniably altered life as we know it. As if getting into residency wasn’t hard enough already, COVID has made it a notch harder. Graduate Medical Education across the nation is preferably adopting video interviews for a virtual residency recruitment. This noncontact change was further endorsed by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). What […]
May 19th, 2020
Safety Net: Reflections on the Elmhurst Experience
Eric Bressman, MD
Elmhurst 2014 I first arrived at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, NY, in the summer of 2014 as a medical student on my surgery rotation. We would take occasional night shifts as part of the trauma team. It was the first time I held a pager. Code yellow meant hurry, code red meant run. One of our […]
May 12th, 2020
Our Public Hospital Leads Massachusetts in Caring for Coronavirus Patients
Frances Ue, MD, MPH
Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), where I work, is a small hospital system serving the north Boston-metro area across two campuses in Cambridge and Everett but, despite its modest scale, it has arguably become the center of Massachusetts’ fight against COVID-19. This is no small feat, given that Massachusetts has the third largest number of coronavirus […]
April 30th, 2020
Why Is Burnout Still Occurring, Even with Work-Hour Restrictions?
Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD
“Daniel, this guy is one… sick… puppy,” he stated emphatically, drawing out the last three words. I put my phone down and turned my chair away from the computer. He had my attention. Not because I haven’t taken care of any sick patients before, but because this statement was coming from him. I’m sure your hospital has […]
April 24th, 2020
Pass or Fail — USMLE Step 1
Allison Latimore, MD
We All Take Tests In January 2020, it was announced by the US Medical Licensing Examination that USMLE Step 1 scoring would change from a 3-digit score to pass or fail. I’m sure some budding and current medical students are jumping for joy. Some residents and attendings probably are brooding jealously, thinking of all the stress, […]
March 5th, 2020
Should We Avoid Exposing Residents to Coronavirus?
Eric Bressman, MD
The arrival of the novel COVID-19 to the U.S., and the inevitability of its eventual spread, raises an interesting question: Should we avoid exposing residents to the virus? Before we try to answer this question, we should start with some important qualifiers. While a good deal about this novel virus remains unknown, the majority of […]
2019-2020 Chief Resident Panel
Prarthna Bhardwaj, MD, MBBS
Eric Bressman, MD
Allison Latimore, MD
Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD
Frances Ue, MD, MPH
Resident chiefs in hospital, internal, and family medicine
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