What’s in a name? The (Mis)Use of Formal Titles in the Hospital

Introducing the Problem In any hospital, there are many different types of workers who help to provide quality patient care and keep patients safe. Of all those who work in the hospital, however, only doctors receive a formal title in day-to-day conversation. Whether it’s from other medical professionals or patients, attending physicians are almost always called Dr.  On the other hand, nurses, physician assistants, medical students, and even resident physicians less frequently receive formal titles in the hospital. ***************** Growing up in a Caribbean family, I was taught that titles are a sign of respect, especially for those older than…

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Guide to Moving to Philadelphia for Residency – Housing

As a psychiatry resident in Philadelphia, I wanted to create a guide to moving to Philadelphia for residency for those who can’t visit the city before their move. Prior to residency, I lived in Philadelphia for medical school and business school for five years. So I’ve been here for quite some time now! Before I first moved to Philly, I was traveling in Europe while making arrangements to move to a new city. In other words, I know what it’s like to plan a move to a city without being able to visit in person. Over the past six years,…

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10 Wellness Hacks for Intern Year

In the midst of intern year, we must continually work toward finding sustainable wellness hacks to keep us on the path to providing quality patient care!

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How to Position Yourself to Buy a House Before Residency

The start of residency is a huge transition. Specifically, thousands of newly-minted doctors prepare to move around the country to start their residency training programs. Most medical students spent their time in medical school renting apartments. So the transition to residency often brings up an important question: Should you continue to rent or should you buy a house before residency? Unfortunately, there isn’t any teaching in medical school about how to position yourself to buy a house before residency (or at any point for that matter). More than that, owning a home is expensive and the average medical student in…

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Physicians for a National Health Program: Reflections on the 2018 Annual Meeting

A few months ago, a Penn Med classmate sent out an email over the medical school list serves to inform his peers of the upcoming Annual Meeting of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP). In his email, my classmate noted two key bits of information. First, he described the meeting as a great opportunity to learn about how physicians around the country have formed a coalition in support of a single-payer national healthcare system in the US. Second, he mentioned that there was an opportunity to receive a scholarship to attend the meeting in San Diego. The opportunity to…

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