A Day in the Life of a First-Year Resident
7 a.m. | Starting the Day
Our intern year is split between six months of psychiatry and six months of off-service rotations, and I am currently starting on the PRI Inpatient Psychiatry service. My mornings start by reviewing patients’ charts, preparing for interviews, and greeting the medical students who are working with the team. This time gives me an opportunity to make sure I am up to date on any overnight events or new information that is pertinent to patient care.
8 a.m. | Rounding
We then meet for morning report to hear updates from nursing staff and discuss any new concerns. This is followed by treatment team rounds. I enjoy working alongside the whole team as we collaborate to address diagnoses, medications, discharge planning, and patients’ goals.
Late Morning | Teaching and Patient Care
After rounds, we spend time discussing teaching points from the morning, developing treatment plans, and putting in orders. Each day brings something a little different, which is very engaging. As a new intern, I have appreciated how much teaching is incorporated into the day, and I always feel supported in my learning as there is always an opportunity to ask questions and talk through clinical reasoning.
Afternoon | Wrapping Up Patient Care
My afternoons are focused on continuing patient care and completing daily tasks. This includes preparing patients for discharge, calling consultants, updating families, writing progress notes, and discussing any further changes or concerns with patients on the unit. I typically take a lunch break on campus and enjoy having some time to share a meal with other UAMS residents when our schedules line up.
4:30 p.m. | After hours !
After a full day at the hospital, I head home by 4:30 p.m. Depending on the day, I might go to hot yoga, play trivia with my fellow residents, bake a new dessert, take a walk around Little Rock, grab dinner with friends, or simply read at home. I have a good balance of week-day time outside of the hospital, which has been very refreshing.
Call Schedule & Didactics | Extra, extra, read all about it
On Thursday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m., I enjoy lunch with all four residency classes, and didactics with my intern class. This time is protected, and allows us to focus solely on education for the afternoon. About once a week, I have a short call shift from 4:30 to 8 p.m., and about once a month, I also have a 12-hour Saturday or Sunday call shift. During these shifts, I work alongside an upper-level resident to help cover the call service. This includes responding to PRI, the ED, and the hospital floors. Call often presents patients and situations that I may not otherwise encounter during a typical day on my service. It is also a great chance to get to know and learn from the upper-level residents.
Life Outside of Residency
One of the things I value most about residency at UAMS is my life as a resident outside of the hospital. There is certainly a lot to learn every single day, but there is also time to build friendships, explore Arkansas, travel to visit loved ones, and continue doing the things that make me who I am outside of medicine. For me, this balance has made the transition into residency feel very manageable. I have loved getting to know my fellow residents and finding my new routines, and I am excited to continue this chapter of my training here at UAMS!