Michigan Leadership Conference

This past weekend I had my first real foray into the world of "residency" (that very scary place that's like, um, a real job with like a real paycheck). The General Surgery program at the University of Michigan (football field pictured left) invited a bunch of rising fourth years to learn about leadership and get the inside scoop on the application process. There were about 20 students from across the country - including my biffle Sophia McKinley who y'all will meet soon - as well as students from UMich who are pursuing residency slots in surgical fields. While the mission was to learn more about leadership, the weekend also had a subtle 48-hour-DI-recruiting-trip vibe (what else would you expect from U of M? Carolina would do the same thing...).

The Department pulled out all the stops. We were put up in a fancy-schmancy hotel right on campus, the were hors d'oeuvres and dinners and drinks, lectures from top leadership minds at the business school, and the keynote speaker was the Athletic Director. We toured The Big House. Attending physicians looked over our CVs and personal statements, and new interns gave us tips for applying and interviewing (spiral-bound handbook included). It was extremely impressive, and I even took notes.

All this stuff was great, but more importantly, I kinda felt like I fit in(!).

My #1 deciding factor for choosing a residency? The people.

I think there are a lot of programs out there that have tons to offer. Many will have new simulation centers, oodles of NIH funding, and big names. If I choose to pursue a fellowship in Pediatric Surgery, a lot of programs will set me up to be competitive for these positions. But all of this is worthless if I don't love who I work with. I'm going to be spending seven years with these people, so if I don't feel like it's a good fit, I'm going to be miserable for the better part of a decade. General Surgery residency is notoriously tough; there's no reason to make it any harder.

I'm not going to lie to you; I loved the people. I think it was because I was surrounded by former athletes (somehow we find each other - Ronnie, Kelly). Every attending was either a soccer player, ran track, or swam in college. The current program director happened to swim at Yale, and he knew I had to be "the swimmer" right when I walked in the door (tall and gangly seems to give it away). And the residents were, like, cool. It was a tight knit group with a lot of energy. These were people I could have a beer with.

I was relieved to know that I could get a good feel of the residents quickly. One thing I've been worried about is whether I will be able to get a good pulse of a program with only a 24 hour interview. Some of my classmates who went through the process this past year told me Yes. You can get a good vibe quickly. But it's a big decision! Seven years?!?! That's like a marriage (and the divorce rate in General Surgery is ~25% I think, between people a program, not real marriages - although that might be pretty high too). In one day you try to decide who you are going to spend the rest of your life with. That's scary-but-exciting shit.

However, I'm encouraged. Michigan was definitely a place I could see myself. I hope to have the same good feelings elsewhere.

One of the attending surgeons told us that he always first asks, "Why Michigan?" to every interviewee. If I'm offered an interview, that certainly will be an easy question to answer.

A tougher question will be, "How will you deal with the cold?!"