The Kaiser Permanente San Diego Family Residency Program welcomes six new residents per year into one of the largest Family Medicine Departments in the world. I was very excited to interview one of their Chief Residents, Dr. Aaron Edelstein, about his experience as a resident and glean some helpful advice As a doctor, he is dedicated to family medicine and has a refreshing attitude towards balancing life and work responsibilities. Outside of work Aaron is an avid runner and hiker and enjoys the San Diego music scene. You can follow him on Twitter @ConnectTheDocs. 1. Tell us a little bit about yourself – where you’re from, what medical school you went to, what field are you specializing in, what’s your favorite hobby? I grew up outside Boston and came back for medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine, in the MD/MBA program. I got roped into Family Medicine by my fantastic advisor, Dr. Altman, and the more I learned about FM, the most I knew it was a great choice for me. I have a great interest in data, and patterns, so the idea of keeping a whole patient panel healthy really sparked my interest. Medicine seems to be moving towards a performance model, where physicians will be monitored and rewarded for their innovative work at keeping patients healthy. FM captures that idea and concept well. 2. What was most difficult when choosing residency programs to apply to, what was your criteria when ranking them? Part of the difficulty in choosing a residency program is knowing yourself. Are you a city person, country person, do you want to be close to family or explore a new state? All these questions need to be answered before you start applying places. For me, I was interested in being in a health system like Intermountain Health, Mayo Center and where I am now, at Kaiser Permanente. In choosing a residency program, I would think about the ideal setting and imagine yourself somewhere happy, then find programs that fit that image you have. If you want to do a fellowship after residency, it may be worth while looking at programs that have fellowships as well. Fellowship programs may look favorably upon you if you did a residency there. Flickr | Paul L Dineen 3. How does the ranking system work? Step 1: Apply. Step 2: Schedule your interview (do this early, spots fill up fast) Step 3: Interview Step 4: Rank those places you interview. Programs will rank all applicants and a computer does the rest. If you interviewed at a place that you enjoyed, let them know. Write thank you cards, go to any optional social events. If you have a number 1 choice, let that program know. However, don’t tell more than one program they are #1, programs often talk to each other! 4. Would you say that the residency application process is similar to when you applied to medical school? The process is similar in that there are interviews, and resumes and you need to make a good impression. However, the playing field is much, much more equal. When you interview at residency programs, you are trying to find a good match for yourself as well. In essence, you are interviewing each other. It’s far less stressful and feels more professional. 5. What’s been the hardest thing about residency so far and were you surprised or did you expect it? What was the best advice that you’ve gotten since you’ve been a resident/before you became a resident? The hardest thing about residency is learning to balance your interests and to not “lose yourself” to medicine. Keep on with your interests, your relationships, your life. I was surprised at how much you learn, but also how much you need to hold onto your humanity and sense of humor as a resident. No one expects you to be a robot (not even in surgery residency programs!) so you need to keep making connections, come to work with a really good attitude and learn to like what you do. Even at 3am. The best advice I got was to travel between medical school ending and residency starting. I took that advice and am happy I did. Flickr | followtheseinstructions 6. What’s different about residency versus being on rotation? In some way they are similar. There is far more paperwork and charting as a resident. Also, the buck stops with you. Although you have an attending, you are acting as a physician, which you are. Slowly, and sometimes not so slowly, you are transitioning to being a full fledged member of the medical community. 7. Is it easier to find a balance between work and your personal life now that you’re a resident or has that become more difficult? Finding that balance is always a difficulty. I think that’s just true of life. It gets easier and easier throughout residency. 8. Financially how have things changed since graduating medical school? For example, have you started making payments on student loans? Ever see LOST where the Black Smoke Monster suddenly appears, then goes away, then comes back? Those are loans. They are at home with you on the island, and can be a real anxiety. You need to make minimum payments during residency, and then figure out strategies to pay it back. Perhaps you’ll work for a non-profit and pay it back over 10 years through the Federal Loan Forgiveness Program, or perhaps you’ll find a high enough paying position after residency and just cut a big check every month. There are good options and you need to keep it all in perspective. Tumblr | neonearthtone 9. Do you have any advice about studying for board exams? For example, was there a specific program you used or a method that worked really well for you? Did you find that your scores were the most important factor/had the biggest impact when being considered for residency? Doctors In Training was a big help on Step 2. I wish I had done a program like that for Step 1, as I’m not a very good test taker. Scores do matter when applying for residency. Definitely take it seriously, but don’t stress yourself out too much, and don’t study with people who do. If you’re a great test taker, study up and do a question bank like USMLE World. If you are not a great test taker, do USMLE World, but also dish out the $800 (or so) for a test prep course either online or on sight. It’s a shame, but scores do matter, especially for competitive programs. If you have any further questions, please comment below for a follow-up interview! Source
