How would you describe the culture of your residency?
Our program and department is a supportive and energizing place to work. There is strong peer-to-peer support, and there are always fun, laughable moments during the day. We are definitely a family here at UCLA, and residents frequently spend time together outside of work as well.
How has your program supported resident wellness?
Beyond the peer-to-peer support, we regularly plan events that happen during the work day, usually on a monthly basis. Examples include painting sessions, gingerbread-house making, board games, and others. The residents help coordinate events off-campus as well, such as hikes, happy hour with the department chair, museum outings, and trivia nights. The program is responsive to ideas that promote wellness and address systemic issues, and will do its best to provide the budget or resources to make those ideas into reality.
How has your program supported diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) either at your institution or in the surrounding community?
Our department and program has made DEI a priority, creating a DEI committee with resident co-chairs, developing an evidence-based holistic resident selection process, supporting medical student rotations/fellowships, scheduling DEI Quality and Grand Rounds topics, and creating a forum for staff, faculty, and residents to discuss DEI issues in constructive and formalized ways. Our grand rounds selection committee is also dedicated to giving a platform to diverse speakers.
What are unique features of your program that you would like to highlight?
The residents get along well with each other. Residents know that they have support from their co-residents and program leadership when they need additional help. We also have program leadership who prioritize resident education and try to find ways to improve the learning environment.
Other notable features: Generous elective time and flexibility. High volume of bone and soft tissue pathology and transplant pathology. Friendly staff and faculty. Regular resident outings to Westwood village for great food.
Is there any advice that you would like to share with the LMSA community?
Pathologists are an essential part of clinical care. Patients and clinical team members often look to pathologists for vital information. We have the opportunity to work with hundreds of staff members from diverse backgrounds, and are often functioning as the team leader in these interactions. Our field is passionate about truth, data, and discovery, and advancing the medical knowledge that affects prognostic and diagnostic medicine.
Although residency is still a training environment, it is very different from medical school. Residency is a job and how you work with others (faculty, co-residents, ancillary staff, etc.) will speak volumes. Be receptive to learning from others. Acknowledge your mistakes, and learn from them. Strive to be the person that others want to work with.
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