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 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 […]
January 22nd, 2020
The ACGME Needs to Mandate Parental Leave
Eric Bressman, MD
My wife and I had a baby a few months ago. Or, more accurately, she birthed a child while I sat in the corner contemplating the miracle of reproductive physiology in a vasovagal fugue. In the months leading up to and following that wondrous moment, we found ourselves navigating the labyrinthine complexity of parental leave in […]
December 12th, 2019
Why Did I Spend an Extra Year as a Chief Resident?
Prarthna Bhardwaj, MD
I was in conversation with a residency applicant recently when we broached the topic of my career plans. I explained that I was interested in pursuing a hematology/oncology fellowship in the future. He asked “Why did you do a chief year, then? Were you trying to improve your application?” At first, I was somewhat offended, […]
November 12th, 2019
Can Minor Changes in a Program Affect Resident Burnout?
Daniel Orlovich, MD, PharmD
“How did you like it there?” I ask, sitting down next to a new fellow (between bites of a plump sandwich, hoping there is no spinach in my teeth). I expect to hear the standard resident talking points — long hours, frequent call, and ballooning student loans. Instead, she surprises me. “Do you know how much they […]
September 5th, 2019
Building Your Squad — Residency and Beyond
Ellen Poulose-Redger, MD
At nearly every stage in our education and training, we find “our people.” Maybe it’s your table-mate in kindergarten, or the kid with the really cool light up sneakers in preschool who becomes your best friend. Maybe it’s your next-door neighbor who you play with after school, or a coworker from your first job in […]
August 20th, 2019
Bias in the Residency Ranking Process
Scott Hippe, MD
“Can we please try to be objective about this!” I said these words to myself over and over during this year’s interview season as we formulated our residency rank list. At my institution, the residents and faculty have equal sway in forming the rank list. The chief resident facilitates the resident half of the process. […]
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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