Hirose-Gram
Dear Surgical Residents,
Greetings for the month of August! I hope all of you are doing well into your second month of the academic year. The first month can be a rough, up-and-down ride, regardless of your level, as you adjust to your new role. Regardless of how the month went, I would celebrate your highs and try to learn from your lows as you move forward. In the words of the incomparable Katie Ledecky (now owner of the top 20 fastest times in 1500m freestyle history), "Each day work on getting better, and even on [I would say especially on] the bad days, have something good that comes out of them."
Just a few notes:
July Town Hall
Thanks to all of you who attended last month's town hall in person. We appreciate the challenges of attending grand rounds, didactics, and skills lab in person. One of the most frustrating aspects may be the inconsistency with which each service is able to accommodate resident attendance at teaching ("why can't this service be more like 'x' service?). We will continue to communicate with service education leads, faculty, APPs, and other stakeholders to make this more uniform across services and sites. Transitioning back to in-person teaching from 3-4 years of zoom teaching will take time and effort.
Parking stipend
Be on the lookout for a pay supplement during August ($2400). Ostensibly, this is to help defray the cost of parking for the entire academic year (although obviously you can use the cash for whatever purpose you'd like). It never feels good to shell out $330 later in the year to park at a UCSF Health site, but remember that this supplement is given as a lump sum during August. When we look at a cost estimate for parking over the course of the year, it is variable depending on how much of the year spent at UCSF Health sites (which have the highest cost of parking). For PGY1s and 3s, the $2400 stipend will likely be below your cost of parking for the year, and for the PGY2s and 4s, it will likely be over. We understand that parking is a major workplace dissatisfier among residents (and faculty), but this supplement is meant to help with this financial strain.
Thursday lunches at Parnassus
If you are at Parnassus on Thursdays, please feel free to come down around noon to the chair's conference room (across the hall from the surgery education office, 3rd floor) to grab a bite to eat. Leftovers will either be in the education office or resident lounge.
Upcoming events that affect staffing
Please note the following events that will require clinical coverage for some residents:
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Resident Research Showcase: Tuesday September 10, 4-6PM at Parnassus
- All categorical PGY1-2 GS, vascular, and plastics (research track) residents will be required to attend in person
- Naffziger day/loupes ceremony
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Dinner for categorical PGY2s: Tuesday, September 17, 6PM
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Loupes ceremony, presentation: Wednesday, September 18, 7AM-12PM
- All categorical GS, plastics, vascular PGY2 will be invited to the dinner on Tuesday and presented on Wednesday morning during Grand Rounds time
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Society of Black Academic Surgeons: September 20-22, Sacramento, CA
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All African-American and UIM residents will be supported to attend.
If you are a resident that needs to attend any of these events, please notify the administrative chiefs, your service chief/fellow/senior, and ensure that there are appropriate arrangements so that you are able to attend. We wish to support all residents to be able to participate in these activities, but it does take planning and effort to make sure the clinical duties are covered. Thank you.
That is all for now—thanks for all that you do, and have a great August!
Kenzo Hirose
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