Interesting Times

Published on Wednesday, May 9, 2018

By: Dr. Doug Bacon

August is slowly yielding to September as cursor is put to keyboard in writing this edition of musing from the chair. My calendar has appointments from medical students interested in our residency as interview season is almost upon us. It is an interesting time—no in person interviews, but rather all will be done virtually. This spring, fellowship applicants for cardiothoracic, pain and pediatric fellowships had virtual interviews. Yet, the applicant pool for residency is much greater. For the eight intern positions we will interview at least eighty candidates, and for our two postgraduate year-two slots, at least a dozen individuals.

For medical students, this has to be a confusing and even more anxiety provoking time than usual. Rotations away from their home institution have essentially been terminated while the pandemic continues. Thus, for students profoundly interested in a department outside of their home institution, there is no option to have an in depth opportunity to learn about the people and program that peeked the student’s interest. Likewise, our program does not have the opportunity to evaluate students from outside UMMC. The intangibles that are critical to success as a resident cannot be seen firsthand. And thus, as this interview season arrives, we will be even more dependent on letters of reference and other materials. It will be a challenge!

Like previous years, the last few weeks has also been filled with requests for chair letters. It is a fun time of year—meeting our fourth year medical students as they prepare for the match. I am continually impressed by their enthusiasm and the breath of their knowledge and involvement both inside and outside the medical center. The students going into the specialty these days are highly competitive and in many ways the cream of the class. Meeting these students, speaking with them, and offering what advice I can, always reinvigorates my enthusiasm and love of anesthesiology.

Finally, this time of the year is when faculty put together their promotion portfolios. Requests for evaluations for other medical centers and departments of anesthesiology arrive, and ours go out. It is exciting to see what innovations these faculty members are making. The specialty is indeed alive and well. Our own faculty has a number of members seeking promotion. All have done remarkable things that make the UMMC department so special. Personally, the best part is that I write a letter of support in which their achievements are highlighted. And, each faculty member has done remarkable things to improve the department through teaching, clinical service, research and administration.

We do live in unique, interesting times. While the pandemic has changed the way we do business, it has brought with it innovation and accelerated change, most of it positive. I look forward to all the results of all this late summer activity and especially to interviewing our residency candidates. 2020 has thus far been unique and I look forward to seeing how all of efforts emerge.

And finally please welcome Drs. Claudio Cesar do Nascimento, Elizabeth Schacht, Caroline Walker, Patricia Amolenda, Forrest Duncan, Patrick Newman, Jeremy Rainey, and Christiano Dos Santos E Santos—all new attending staff who joined the department within the last year. Also welcome Jessica Miley, Leshonda Walker, Mark Sullivan, Mary Johnson, Gary Chandler and Ransom Jones, all CRNAs added to our department within the last year as well!