Program Director's Note - The Source of Hope
Hope is holding a creative tension between what is and what could and should be, each day doing something to narrow the distance between the two.
Hi everyone,
Yesterday afternoon, an intern reported mistreatment of a co-intern by a physician in another department. The details don’t matter, except to say there was yelling. Residency leadership responded fast. We thanked the reporting intern, supported the mistreated one, and notified institutional leadership. We don’t tolerate disrespect.
Though disappointed by the mistreatment, I’ll focus on the positive. Episodes like these are uncommon, but we’re prepared for them. I’m grateful for the APDs’ rapid response, the mistreated intern’s professionalism, and the reporting intern’s courage. In another time and place, a similar event would have led to a shrug. We demand better.
Our residents are a unfailing source of hope. Weekly ChOC notes “shout out” residents who lead in emergencies and comfort grieving families. Hospital RAVE notes highlight residents who go all out for patients. CCC meetings feature residents who take extra work to balance loads, advocate for non-English speaking patients, teach in the middle of the night, help nurses with procedures, and impress preceptors with extraordinary effort.
Last week I read an article comparing optimism to hope. Whereas optimism assumes good outcomes, hope recognizes that good outcomes require action. From research to learning to healing, the outcomes we seek depend on our vision and effort.
Our residency is filled with people who work hard to create a just culture, even when it seems sometimes like the world has abandoned the notion. Your efforts to cultivate civility and kindness fill me with an everlasting source of hope.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone. On my agenda: haircut, bike ride, beach.
Mark
What I’m reading:
Turns Out, G.D.P. Doesn’t Buy Happiness By Byron Johnson, Tyler J. VanderWeele, and Brendan Case
For Those Who Wish to Fight Back but Don’t Know How By Jonathan Eig
Universities Deserve Special Standing By Lee C. Bollinger
The Dark Side of Empathy By Michael Ventura
How About We Don’t Bring Our Whole Selves to Work By Boaz Barack
The Last Dose By David N. Korones
The Courage to Teach By Parker J. Palmer
The Night Watchman By Louise Erdrich
Residency Passover Seder, hosted by Francesca Thau and Sierra Mendelsohn
Photo by Sierra Mendelsohn