Perspective on Residency and Medical School 

Why you should become a nurse or a physician's assistant instead of a doctor

Blog article from October 2012 by author Jake Seliger 


Anti Trust Lawsuit Against the Medical Residency System 

New York Times article from 2004 



Journal Articles and Academic Presentations on Residency  

Residents in Trouble: An In-Depth Assessment of the 25-year Experience of a Single Family Medicine Residency. 
(Fam Med 2006; 38 (4): 252-7)  

  It's important to keep in mind that some of us, despite the fact that it is very hard to accept, deserve to be terminated.  I think that this article does a very good job of demontrating what kinds of things should get a resident terminated.  They also demonstrate just how much trouble a residency program will go through to rehabilitate you if they really want you to succeed.  Although residencies can vary drastically by specialty and location, I feel that you should question the motives of program directors who do not follow the same steps to rehabilitate 'residents in trouble' demonstrated in this article. 

Problem Residents

This is a powerpoint presentation by the American Board of Internal Medicine on identifying and managing problem residents.   One of the key principles that one should zero in on is the slide titled "Due Process for Academic Issues."  The first point is that "Training programs are free to dismiss or not promote as long as students are given notice and opportunity to cure."  In the majority of cases that I reviewed, and stories that I have discussed with others in this situation, this is the principle that is violated most often.  A residency program will just call the resident in, tell them that they have deficiency 'x', and that they are being terminated because of it.  Often, this is the first time the resident has ever heard this. 


National Survey of Internal Medicine Residency Program Directors Regarding Problem Residents
(JAMA 2000; 284:1099-1104)

This article discusses what makes someone a 'problem resident.'  And what kinds of personal issues that these residents may be dealing with.  Mostly just a lot of statistics on the matter.   One interesting passage from the conclusions:  "Many program directors believed that residents who are from an underrepresented minority, are international medical graduates, or older than 35 years old, are at increased risk of being identified as a problem resident."  


Residency Disputes and Lawsuits

This is where I'll post any interesting internet articles that I come across as they pertain to residency terminations, lawsuits, changes in ACGME policy, or anything related to one of these topics.   

Terminated Pathology resident kills his mentor in a murder suicide (July 2000) 

Medical Residents are treated worse than Chinese Factory Workers (April 2012)

Judge finds Upstate Medical in contempt and arrogant for disobeying court order (March 2014)  


Psycopath Avenges Residency termination in 2001 by murdering 2 victims in 2008, and another 2 in 2013 (Oct 2016)


 Hatred, wrath, and lust for vengeance can stew and fester in the heart of a terminated resident for years on end.  Resist the temptation to do anything drastic to your former residency director. And certainly, never, never harm a child or an innocent bystander in the name of vengeance. 




Struggles of the African-American and International Medical Graduate Physicians

Perception is reality, and the reality for most African American Physicians is that not too much has changed.  Sure we have access to education, and access to employment, but the old adage 'Work twice as hard to be considered half as good' hasn't changed.  Will America's empowered ethnic majority ever take notice of the kind of pain they are inflicting on us?  Not likely. But people will probably never stop writing about it, so enjoy these stories about the struggle. 

African American ENT Surgeon wins $4.5 million settlement in racial discrimination lawsuit (July 2013)

A black physician explains his everyday contact with the double standard between him and his colleagues (May 2013)

Residency Flavored News and Articles