Residency is an intense time of learning and growth. All physicians look back on their residency as a period of excitement—the joy of making the right diagnosis and the thrill of watching someone get better, along with the sadness of knowing when there is nothing more that can be done for a patient. It is also a time when new physicians create lasting professional relationships and come to understand the need to care for one another.
VMDAS and VPSA recognize the important contributions that residents make to our communities of care and celebrates extraordinary efforts at its annual Resident Recognition and Appreciation Event, which is held during Residents Wellness Month. This year, 25 residents were nominated by medical staff, with the evening honouring them sponsored by VCH’s People Team. Caroline Heisler, the manager of VCH’s Recognition Programs, was pleased to attend and acknowledge the nominees.
Speakers VMDAS/VPSA President Dr. Ka Wai Cheung, Vancouver Acute Senior Medical Director Dr. Vinay Dhingra, UBC Faculty of Medicine Postgraduate Medical Education Assistant Dean Dr. Sonia Butterworth, and VPSA Past President Dr. Alison Harris shared anecdotes from their resident days.
Dr. Cheung congratulated the nominees and also thanked the medical staff who took the time to nominate residents. Dr. Dhingra commented on the privilege he feels to collaborate with residents and how much he learns by working with them. Dr. Butterworth gave kudos to VMDAS as one of the few medical staff associations to address positively the results of UBC’s Postgraduate Medical Education survey that showed, among other things, the need for better recognition and appreciation for learners. Dr. Harris included a nod to the Mas Yukawa Foundation that funded last year’s inaugural Resident Recognition event that got the ball rolling. The evening also featured remarks from resident representative Dr. Alexa Caldwell, who expressed her gratitude for the opportunity the event offers to be recognized.
Congratulations to this year’s nominees:
Dr. Kaishan Aravinthan
Dr. Logan Atkinson
Dr. Francesca Bell-Peters
Dr. Emilie Chan
Dr. Nancy Duan
Dr. Kia Dullemond
Dr. Philip Edgcumbe
Dr. Jordan Friedmann
Dr. Vanessa Giesbrecht
Dr. Bo Gong
Dr. Travis Gordon
Dr. Adrianna Gunton
Dr. Derin Karacabeyli
Dr. Xin Mei Liu
Dr. Eoin McFadden
Dr. Kathryn McRae
Dr. Emma Mitchell
Dr. Alex Monaghan
Dr. Nikunj Patel
Dr. Ian Pitcher
Dr. Michael Rizzuto
Dr. Mariana Salazar
Dr. Daniel Shi
Dr. Gary Xu
Dr. Sabrina Yu
Dr. Joanna Yuen
Check out photos from the event here.
Feedback from the event
Fifteen of the residents and medical staff who attended the event completed the feedback survey.
- 87 per cent of the residents strongly agreed or agreed that the event improved their perception of Vancouver Acute and Vancouver Community as a place to practice medicine.
- 83 per cent of the medical staff strongly agreed or agreed that the event improved their perception of Vancouver Acute and Vancouver Community as a place to practice medicine.
Comments included:
- Thank you for organizing this event. It was a really nice surprise to be recognized for the work we do as residents, and great to get together to get to know other colleagues from different specialties.
- More involvement by medical staff and an increase in candidates deserving would be ideal.
- Thank you so much for organizing this. It really made me remember that what we do matters and that people are noticing our hard work. My only suggestion would be to notify our PDs at the time of this award to they are aware that we’ve been recognized outside our own divisions.
- I would have liked the moderator to call each resident in attendance by name, ask the individual resident to stand, while one sentence was read out about why they got their award. As a resident, I would have liked to learn the names and the various projects that the other residents had worked on. I also would have liked there to be 15 minutes of mix and mingling before the food was served. That would have given us all more opportunities to get to know each other. Or, part way through the dinner, we could have all been encouraged to switch tables. I really liked how the speeches by the senior leadership were personal and included reflections on their time as residents. That made me feel much more connected to the senior leadership.
- Advertise further to get greater participation – otherwise great event!
- Thank for organizing such an event. Sometimes, the life of a resident can be a difficult one and we can feel unseen despite the hours of work we put in. These events make us feel appreciated and inspire us to foster a community of support
- It would’ve been nice to have more mingling. I would’ve appreciated the name tag so I could know the faces for the names that I recognize. Although many residents were recognized, it would’ve been nice to have a list, or perhaps some short introductions and speeches from the winners, or nominators themselves.