Newest UCSF Residents and Fellows Prepare for Training
More than 400 new residents and clinical fellows descended on UCSF’s Parnassus campus earlier this month for an orientation to welcome them into the campus community, the start of their next phase of training in health sciences.
A resident tries on her new white coat, a happy rite of passage.
“I don’t think you could come to UCSF at a more exciting time,” said Mark Laret, chief executive officer of UCSF Medical Center, as he addressed a packed Cole Hall. With the new UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay under construction, the implementation of electronic health records at UCSF and health care reform, the new group of physicians will be on the cutting edge of some major transitions, he explained.
“We know this is a buyer’s market and you have the opportunity to go anywhere you wanted, and we are extremely proud you chose UCSF,” said Robert Baron, MD, the associate dean for Graduate Medical Education.
Leslie Lane came to UCSF for a residency in Family Medicine after graduating from medical school at UC Davis. She was attracted specifically to the program at the UCSF-affiliated San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), which serves a diverse patient population, and its “focus and commitment to caring for the underserved,” she said. “I knew it was the right fit.”
Ivel Morales is in the same residency program at SFGH. Originally from Venezuela, she said she identifies with the patient population at SFGH. “It felt like I was back home,” she said.
The new residents watch a demonstration on how to safely collect blood cultures, one of several skills labs offered at the Graduate Medical Education orientation.
The morning session of the orientation introduced the incoming residents and clinical fellows to campus leaders including Laret, Baron, Sue Carlisle, MD, PhD, associate dean at SFGH for the UCSF School of Medicine and Sam Hawgood, MBBS, dean of the UCSF School of Medicine. “You are at the front lines and the face of UCSF,” said Hawgood. “You’re the first point of patient contact and often the last interaction as well. We rely on you to carry the values of UCSF at all times.”
Laret echoed UCSF’s commitment to the safest and highest quality in patient care. “You are here for research and training, but always, always, always put the care of your patients first,” he said. “Treat them like your loved ones. That is our leading charge.”
Resident Shethal Bearelly gets his white coat during the Graduate Medical Education orientation at UCSF.
The afternoon portion of the orientation was dedicated to fulfilling skills lab training and an administrative fair packed with booths dedicated to human resources, health insurance, financial services, housing resources and student life. Residents also fulfilled one of the most exciting tasks of the day, getting their white coats, a traditional symbol of becoming a doctor.
“I came to UCSF because it’s a prominent academic program, and people come from far and wide to see these specialists,” said Jeff Markey, who is starting his residency in Otolaryngology after attending medical school at the University of Kansas. “It’s a great program, a great city and excellent people in the department. Just look around, who wouldn’t want to come here?”
Photos by Susan Merrell