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I Love Residency. Mic Drop.

— Finding the right program can make all the difference

Ƶ MedicalToday
A photo of Mark E. McIntyre II, MD, MBA

A year ago, having just left the hospital and feeling an all too familiar wave of the post-shift adrenaline of a newly minted emergency medicine doctor, I decided to tweet my feelings into the void of Twitter. Without much thought, I typed: "Unpopular (or popular?) opinion but I love residency. 100x better than med school."

Then I set my phone down and continued to unwind at home. Unbeknownst to me, this seemingly innocent tweet would generate a discussion I've now had countless times on Twitter. More specifically, within the niche area of the site we all know as "Med Twitter." Later, when I picked up my phone, I was greeted by a slew of comments ranging from agreement to contempt. I was shocked, yet not surprised. After all, this is Twitter, a place where any and everyone can have an opinion both good and bad.

Well, here I am a year later. Having once again come off a shift that has me physically tired but spiritually high. I decided to share my thoughts with Twitter again, but this time I paused. The last time I posted my love for residency, I was met with chaos. Still, I wondered if this sentiment still held true? So, I typed, "People always seem so shocked when I tell them I love residency. I'm sorry but it's true...I love it."

I waited. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. And cue the Twitter uproar...again.

Before I explain why I enjoy residency, I'd like to leave a disclaimer. My love for residency has nothing to do with my liking or approval of the residency system. It is well known that the residency system can be exploitative and damaging to trainees. In fact, a quick Google search yields articles about how residency related stress everything from poor mental health to accelerated aging. However, this is not what I wish to highlight here. Here I'd like to highlight why I am personally enjoying my time in residency. I would also like to emphasize, specifically to medical student readers, the importance of selecting a residency program that fits their individual needs and goals. With that being said, let me jump in.

I enjoy residency for three simple reasons: the location, my program, and my co-residents. When I was a medical student, I recognized that residency is not only medical training, but it is also a job. Like all jobs, it has its positives and negatives. As someone who had a variety of jobs before pursuing a career in medicine, from a teacher to a construction worker, I have come to appreciate that job fit is just as important as the experience. For me, what makes for a good fit is a job that helps me develop as a professional, while providing me with the tools, support, and space to make it happen. In addition, as a medical student I knew I would not spend all my time in the hospital. As such, when I was out of the hospital, I wanted to be in a location that would be enjoyable. So, I narrowed down my residency search to cities I wouldn't mind living in. I figured that even if I had a horrible day, I would at least be able to decompress in the city of my choice. I knew that I wanted a city with a good food scene, vibrant nightlife, and in close proximity to other major attractions or destinations. My list was short; however, it was a start. The next thing I did was identify programs within these cities that I thought would mesh well with my medical goals and personality. This took quite a bit of time to research, and involved me reaching out to people, faculty, and residents to get their perspectives and opinions on the various programs. Out of all the steps, this was the most time-consuming, yet most crucial step. By the end of my research, I had a short list of programs and cities that I felt would be a good match for me before I had even submitted my application.

The last component, my co-residents, was the most variable. When researching programs, I tried to get a good feel for what kinds of residents the program was attracting. As an emergency medicine physician, the stereotyped personality is an active, nature-loving person, who may or may not have a propensity for adrenaline-filled activities. Not to say I am not like this -- because I definitely am -- but I also had other interests (like anime and gaming) that are tougher to link with a specific residency program. Ultimately, I settled on a handful of programs that aligned most with what I was looking for.

All of this brings me to today. I love residency. Having embarked on my medical journey almost a decade ago, it has been everything that I have hoped for and more. Yes, there are issues within the residency system, I do have bad days, and there is a lot that could be changed. However, none of this can take away from the feelings I have when a patient thanks me for helping them in their time of need; the feelings I have when I reach out to my program with my concerns, and they are taken seriously and validated; the feelings I have when after a long shift, I have more than a dozen co-residents to lean on and enjoy dinner and happy hour with. These are the reasons why I love residency, and I stand by that.

is a PGY-2 emergency medicine resident at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.