Residency

A call for equity: fair compensation and overtime pay for resident physicians

Physician
January 9, 2024

Amidst significant rises in resident unionization, a policy shift is warranted to guarantee equitable compensation and overtime pay for resident physicians contending with demanding 80-hour workweeks. On October 13, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom made history by signing California Senate Bill No. 525 (SB 525) into law. This monumental legislation will increase the minimum wage for California health care employees to $25 per hour. While SB 525 addresses the …

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Improving medical specialty selection with pre-training examinations

Education
November 15, 2023

Considering that the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) primarily evaluates candidates’ general medical knowledge, there is a growing need to introduce specialty-specific pre-training examinations (PTEs). This is because the USMLE’s focus on overall medical knowledge may not accurately predict the performance of applicants in their specialty-specific in-training examinations (ITEs). The introduction of PTEs could serve as a more reliable indicator of applicants’ commitment and aptitude for their chosen specialties. …

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Authenticity and bias in recommendation letters [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 22, 2023
YouTube video

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Heather Furnas, an adjunct clinical associate professor at Stanford and an aesthetic surgeon, joins us as we delve into the intricate world of recommendation letters, biases in evaluations, and their impact on diverse fields. Heather lends her …

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Disparities in DO vs. MD applicants to subspecialties: Identifying challenges and bridging the gap

Physician
August 11, 2023

In recent years, the disparities between doctor of osteopathy (DO) and doctor of medicine (MD) applicants in securing coveted residency slots across various medical subspecialties have garnered increased attention. Despite the acceptance of DO-trained physicians within the broader medical community, there remains a significant discrepancy in match rates between DO and MD applicants in highly competitive specialties. This disparity is complex and multifaceted, requiring efforts from every level of the …

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Physician burnout and the Kentucky Derby: a shocking parallel [PODCAST]

Podcast
August 1, 2023
YouTube video

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We discuss the striking similarities between the Kentucky Derby and the challenges of medical training. Our guest, Corinne Sundar Rao, an internal medicine physician, shares valuable insights based on her expertise. We explore the shared traits of …

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The transitional year: a must-have preliminary for GME

Physician
July 28, 2023

The debate surrounding graduate medical education (GME) revolves around whether one should dedicate themselves to their current residency or focus on future fellowship opportunities. This confusion becomes more pronounced after completing fellowship programs, especially in inpatient settings, where specialists consult with generalists who have completed residency programs and obtained board certification without pursuing further specialization.

The fundamental question is whether generalists should be regarded and treated as specialists. Looking towards the …

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Improving the financial struggles of resident physicians [PODCAST]

Podcast
July 20, 2023
YouTube video

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Join Kelley Butler, a family medicine resident and member of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU, as we delve into the financial struggles faced by health care workers, focusing on the experiences of resident physicians. We discuss …

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The invaluable role of residents in transforming health care

Physician
July 13, 2023

The query surrounding graduate medical education (GME) programs and their faculty revolves around whether they truly recognize the value of residents. Assessing their value can be subjective as well as objective. Here are some questions that programs, faculty, and residents should contemplate before drawing their own conclusions.

Do health care institutions incur financial losses when they have residents who cannot directly bill health care payers for their services, compared to institutions …

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Stepping into the unknown: reflections of an intern on July 1st

Physician
July 6, 2023

I remember it like it was yesterday. Orientation had concluded, and it was showtime. Officially July 1st. It felt like all the cramming from the last few weeks was sitting astutely in my upper chest. My breathing was fairly shallow, and my brain was in an emotional fog, resembling a salad. Internal neon flash signs were going off every few seconds.

Many of these thoughts went like, “This is where they …

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Academic hazing culture killed Dr. Nakita Mortimer

Physician
July 5, 2023

“Say her name,” “She didn’t deserve this,” and “The system failed you” were the sentiments expressed on social media by resident physicians and trainees in medicine on the death of Dr. Nakita Mortimer, an advocate, mentor, physician trainee union organizer, and Black woman resident physician who tragically ended her life on May 26, 2023.

This narrative is all too common within medicine’s ivory tower, as suicide is the Read more…

Let’s rethink letters of recommendation

Physician
July 1, 2023

Letters of recommendation help open gates to university admissions, jobs, and scholarships. Now that more colleges are ditching SAT/ACT requirements and medical schools are grading pass/fail, these letters will likely rise in importance. As a decision-maker myself, I rely on a letter writer’s personal judgment in vouching for (or not mentioning) an applicant’s work ethic, experience, and character.

At least I did—until the subject of one of my own letters …

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Master the ABIM Certification exam with effective strategies: insider tips for success

Education
June 5, 2023

The ABIM (American Board of Internal Medicine) Certification exam is not always about the assessment of your knowledge but also about knowing the right strategies, which are keys to success. I passed the ABIM Board Certification Exam without any review course. I had to sign up to work as an attending physician on July 1st due to my financial and visa limitations.

In this article, I will discuss effective preparation methods …

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Successful life after residency: 6 key ways  to recover and thrive

Education
April 5, 2023

As a therapist and physician spouse who works with physicians and physician couples, I’ve seen the excitement and difficulty of exiting medical training and becoming an attending. The shift is a celebratory culmination of the physician’s hard work and a jarring transition with its unique challenges. Here are six things a new attending can do to recover from their residency experience and build a thriving next chapter.

1. Process …

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Do residents deserve the title of physician?

Physician
March 25, 2023

I was unsettled by an email that our graduate medical education (GME) office recently sent out to all residents at my institution “sharing a friendly reminder that parking spaces identified as ‘physician parking’ are for attending physicians only” and “residents and fellows who park in ‘physician parking spaces’ will receive a parking ticket.” I have parked next to only non-physician (including non-resident physician) staff in those spaces every day for …

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Equalizing the future of medical residencies: standardizing work hours and wages

Education
March 2, 2023

In the United States, work hours are traditionally recorded on a weekly basis, and salaries are paid every two weeks. However, full-time employees (FTEs) work for a full year and receive a W-2 annually. FTEs are usually hired based on an annual wage divided into 26 bi-weekly paychecks. Tracking weekly work hours can lead to inconsistencies in time recording, so it might be better for both employers and FTEs to …

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Proposing solutions to end bias in the medical residency selection process

Education
February 14, 2023

Getting into medical school is arguably the largest barrier to entry into the physician profession, but it is not the only one. Previously, I covered who gets to succeed in medical school and who gets to graduate. In this article, I look at who gets to be a resident.

After completing medical school, the next step for a graduate is residency—the post-graduate training that every new physician goes through to practice in …

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The medical school selection process may be more crucial for shaping the future physician workforce 

Education
January 18, 2023

Every year, thousands of applicants in the United States register for the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Many graduate medical education (GME) programs receive thousands of applications that are reviewed by recruitment teams with fewer than ten faculty members. In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of applications for GME programs and an overwhelming number of interviews for ERAS applicants, even though only a few hundred …

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7 tips to survive night float  

Education
December 31, 2022

My friend texted me the other day that she was thinking of quitting her training program.

Some schedule changes earlier in the year led to her being scheduled for back-to-back month-long night float rotations. She was in the middle of her second straight month of nights and was feeling tired, depressed, and burned out.

Now, this might be a unique situation since night float rotations, on average, are only one to two …

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A letter to residents after the subspecialty match

Physician
December 18, 2022

Dear residents:

I heard the amazing news that each of you matched today. Congratulations! That is huge. You will be outstanding subspecialists!

The best part is that now you can take a deep breath and relax. The stress is over. Hopefully, you matched at your first choice, but please know that if you didn’t, it will be OK. I know the feeling. Although I was lucky to get my first choice for …

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