Building green and gold bonds for new medical residents

Brandon Christensen, '18 MD, finished medical school at the University of Alberta and went on to begin his residency program in psychiatry at the University of Toronto.

"Learning where you will end up for residency is both exhilarating and anxiety-provoking," said Christensen. "Being originally from Red Deer, moving to Toronto was a big change. The city is dynamic, diverse and busy."

Once there, he found himself navigating through different challenges that came with his new location, from crowded streets and public transportation to a higher cost of living.

For many medical students like Christensen, the end of their MD program means saying goodbye to the university that guided them for the past four years and starting a new phase of their careers from scratch. Their residency programs introduce them to new cities, new people and new challenges. Many of these graduates end up in cities with no contacts or previous friends, and don't know how to get around easily.

Hoping to make this transition easier, the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry hosts yearly events to support MD graduates-from new residents arriving to the U of A after completing medical school elsewhere, to U of A new alumni that are now hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away from campus. The initiative started in 2017 in several cities across Canada, as an opportunity for new residents to find friends and mentors in their new location. In Edmonton, the yearly reception is meant to welcome new trainees to the U of A community and offer support.

Abdullah Saleh, '10 MD, is the director of the University of Alberta's Office of Global Surgery. Even though he completed his residency program at the U of A, he remembers that he focused on work at first when he moved temporarily to McMaster University for a specialization program, and felt nostalgic when he ran into someone from the U of A and talked about their memories.

"I think there are some great challenges in terms of social isolation. Especially in that period in our life when we are completing our residency-we're very, very busy," said Saleh. "When you take away all the other networks and activities that you were used to having in your home place, and you jump into a very busy schedule, it's easy to make residency your entire life. That's part of the challenge when you're trying to maintain a certain amount of wellness during your program and not to burn out very quickly. It's more difficult when you don't know many people and you don't have that shared background."

Seema Marwaha, '08 MD, currently works in Toronto and combines her medical training with education to make health information accessible to the public. Marwaha remembers her own challenges when she moved to Toronto years ago for her internal medicine residency program.

"First it was having my friends and family back in Edmonton. Just living in a different city, away from the life you know, is an adjustment, so that was hard," said Marwaha. "Second, the hospital systems are different. And then the third thing that was challenging was just living in a big city. I didn't drive, I didn't know where the good places to eat were, and things here were more crowded and busier than in Edmonton."

Even though she met new friends and found her way around the crowded city, she says she would've liked to attend an event to meet other U of A alumni at that time.

"You get through it either way, but I think being able to ask somebody about their experience, how they've coped, what kind of things they do for fun, all the way to where to apply for a fellowship, would have been helpful."

"Going to the U of A together was a shared experience. I would have learned a lot and met many more interesting people had I participated in events like this before."

While cities to host the reception have varied by year, the Faculty's goal is to expand to all major hubs of U of A alumni.

"For younger alumni, I think they are excited and inspired to see the journeys of people who are just a few years ahead of them," said Marwaha. "For people at my level, we can share experiences and talk like colleagues. And then for people who are older alumni, it's just great to network with them to learn and get advice and mentorship. It is impressive how friendly and generous the older alumni have been at events like this. And the best part about it is that all of it is in one place."

Saleh, who was the main speaker at the 2019 Edmonton reception, looks forward to the growth of a close network of innovation between alumni and the incoming residents.