Residency recruitment season takes place annually during the autumn and winter seasons. A big aspect of it involved taking the bright-eyed applicants out to dinners with the current residents and showing them around the area. Those dinners were also a great way for the current residents to see and hang out with each other while enjoying some nice food. In the post-COVID era, recruitment is among the many activities relegated to the online space; the dinner gatherings are no more.
In lieu of social events, programs have been making promotional videos to showcase both their excellent academic training and their fun-loving residents. UCSD Pediatrics has been releasing theirs this month. In addition to the official video with aerial shots of Rady Children’s Hospital, my friend Dr. Kelsey Hart of “Floral Fridays” fame put together a fun one for UCSD Pediatrics, featuring many of our excellent colleagues and friends. I think they’re a rather cool bunch. You may also recall that as a Child Neurology resident, I am part of both Pediatrics and Neurology training programs, and make a brief appearance in the video.
There is certainly a bittersweet aspect: This year my training has transitioned to the world of Neurology, meaning I no longer work directly alongside the friends I made in my first years. Moving on is exciting, but I still very much miss seeing these wonderful people (and exceptional Pediatricians) every day.