Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s 1,198 resident physicians and fellows are an integral part to the health care team, providing patient care throughout their training while also serving as indispensable resources for medical students and other team members.
Friday, Feb. 24, is Thank a Resident Day, an annual opportunity to celebrate these physicians in training. In 2018, the Gold Humanism Honor Society decided to bring to light the importance of the residency staff and encourage medical students at chapters throughout the nation to show their gratitude and appreciation. Thank a Resident Day has since expanded to hundreds of institutions around the country. Here at VUMC, we also honor the fellows simultaneously.
“Thank a Resident/Fellow Day is not just a day when we say thank you to residents for getting up every day and providing the care that they do, but it’s also a day when we say ‘thank you’ for committing to caring for all of us in the future,” said Kyla Terhune, MD, Senior Vice President for Educational Affairs and associate dean for Graduate Medical Education (GME). “When they come into work, they are working not just for the patient in front of them, but for the hundreds to thousands that they will encounter in their career. I’m incredibly grateful for our house staff, a compassionate, intelligent and caring group.”
Residency training can last from three to seven years, with fellowship adding additional years, depending on a physician’s chosen specialty.
“The residents at VUMC devote themselves to providing excellent care to every patient. They serve as healers, storytellers, role models, and educators,” said third-year pediatrics resident physician, Jess Hayes, MD. “Vanderbilt’s faculty and house staff instantly conveyed a certain warmth that I had not experienced at any other point in an otherwise arduous journey to residency. Since training at Vanderbilt, this impression has only strengthened over time.”
Silky Chotai, MD, in her sixth year of a neurosurgery residency, said VUMC’s diversity, inclusion, and positive working environment drew her to its residency program as well as its clinical and research opportunities.
“The GME program here is fully invested in improving the residency experience all around, which is unique and most appealing to me,” Chotai said. “Acknowledging residents and appreciating their role encourages them to continue striving for the best for patients, education and the community.”
If you would like to express your appreciation for our outstanding residents and fellows on Feb. 24, please share your photos on your social channel and tag @VanderbiltHealth or @vumcchildren on Instagram, and @VUMChealth, @VUMC_MD or @VUMCchildren on Twitter.
