Advice from a first-year Family Medicine resident

Since starting her family medicine residency in July 2021, FMR1 Dr. Brianna Hutchinson (MD), has taken us along her journey as a first year resident in Prince Albert. Halfway through her first year, she shares some of the highlights and challenges she has experienced so far.

 

My name is Brianna Hutchinson and I am a current FMR1 at the Prince Albert site in the Family Medicine program at the University of Saskatchewan.

I started my first year of family medicine residency back in July 2021 and man, how the time is flying! Since then, I have completed rotations in Surgery, Internal Medicine/ICU, Anesthesia, and Rural Family Medicine in Île-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan. Overall, residency has been going great and I am still in shock that half of my first year is over! 

While the transition to residency has had its own unique challenges, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experiences so far and have had the opportunity to work with some of the best preceptors!

What are some of the challenges you have faced during residency so far?

One of the challenges I have faced is managing the increasing anxiety that comes with having more responsibility and independence as a resident. Although my clerkship experiences prepared me well for this, I think it is something many residents face as they enter residency and even throughout their entire training. I know I certainly have not overcome this challenge yet and believe it will be something I face day in and day out throughout the rest of residency.

What has helped you to manage some of this anxiety?

I'm able to manage this anxiety through daily reflection on my progress and goals, and by chatting with residents above me for guidance and reassurance that I am not the only one feeling this way and will finish this residency as a competent physician.

What are some of the highlights of your residency so far?

I've really enjoyed working with unique patient populations, the hands-on procedural skills, and exploring the beautiful northern landscapes. During my time in Île-à-la-Crosse I was able to check out some of the trails both by snowshoe and cross-country skis. The landscape was stunning and the teaching spectacular! I look forward to being back in Prince Albert for rotations in the New Year and checking out the trails around the city.

What advice do you have for medical students as they go into CaRMS?

I know now (the end of January) is the time many medical students are busy perfecting personal letters and fretting over the upcoming CaRMS cycle, so I just wanted to give some advice to those students.

1. No matter what specialty you are hoping to match to in the end, know that you have worked hard and deserve to be here.
   
   
2. For those of you interested in Family Medicine, let your true self shine through in your application and interviews! I honestly feel that if you truly want Family Medicine, have a good application, and can show that you are a good person, you will have the pick of the residency programs you want, and not vice versa. It took me quite a long time to realize this, but once I did, the process was a lot less stressful and enjoyable.
   
   
3. Try as much as you can to reflect on what you want in a residency program, including clinical exposure in different areas, rural versus tertiary rotations, elective time, funding for courses (i.e., ATLS, PALS, ALARM, NRP, EDE), etc.
   
   
4. Do your research on the different sites and really try to connect with current residents to see what they think and if they look happy at that site.

In the end, the rank list order is in your favor, so take the time to also interview the sites you’re interested in!