April 11, 2021

In gratitude to our nation’s residents

"Most residents are young, often in their mid to late 20s, having spent years ensconced in libraries, research labs, and classrooms learning pathophysiology and pharmacology. Upon graduation from medical school, they are now drafted to the front lines...

"Most residents are young, often in their mid to late 20s, having spent years ensconced in libraries, research labs, and classrooms learning pathophysiology and pharmacology. Upon graduation from medical school, they are now drafted to the front lines of a generational pandemic, working long hours, often in cities where they are strangers (the process of “matching” into a residency program is one where residents are not in full control of their destiny or geography). They do so while putting their own health in jeopardy. The resident’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has been unlike any other, because on average, residents spend almost twice as much time at work as other providers. Residents are allowed to work 80 hours a week on balance, which means it’s fine to log 90 hours in the ICU if the following week is a mere 70."

John P. Murray is an internal medicine physician.

He shares his story and discusses his KevinMD article, "In gratitude to our nation’s residents." (https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/in-gratitude-to-our-nations-residents.html)