Canadian medical residents are joining together this week to celebrate the annual Resident Awareness Week (RAW) – a national campaign to raise awareness of the role residents play in our health care system.
“I truly appreciate the dedication and work of residents because they contribute significantly to the healthcare of all British Columbians,” said Dr. Ravi Sidhu, Associate Dean of Postgraduate Medical Education. “They provide countless hours of instruction to medical students and engage in leadership roles that advance patient care, education and research.”
This year, RAW will be running from February 6-10.
We caught up with Dr. David Kim, a UBC emergency medicine resident and the President of Resident Doctors of BC, to find out more about the campaign and how UBC residents can get involved.
As a UBC resident and President of the Resident Doctors of BC, why do you feel it’s important to celebrate and recognize the work of residents?
Dr. David Kim
I feel it’s important to recognize the vital service that residents provide to the wellbeing of British Columbians and bring awareness to what we do – because not everyone knows what a resident doctor is. Resident doctors are medical school graduates undergoing postgraduate specialty training to become independent medical practitioners.
All over the province, resident doctors are working around the clock with allied healthcare providers to deliver quality care to patients. Whether it be in hospitals, operating rooms or community clinics, resident doctors represent front line healthcare workers who are directly involved in taking care of our loved ones.
What activities does the organization have planned to celebrate RAW in BC?
Resident Doctors of BC will be setting up information booths across the province to talk to the public about what resident doctors do in various community centers. We will also be profiling various residents across the province in different specialties through our annual ‘Humans of Residency’ project and through various media coverage. People can also expect to see some of our residents profiled on the SkyTrain in the Lower Mainland and buses across the province.
We will also be sending out lots of tweets and posting interesting material through social media throughout the week – so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter using @ResidentDocsBC and the hashtag #ResidentWeek. For more information on all RAW activities, click here.
How can UBC residents get involved in the campaign?
I think it’s important to raise awareness and create engaging conversations around patient care and residency training. So, I think the most important thing is to start a dialogue with family, patients, the public or allied healthcare providers about the role you play in healthcare delivery.
You can share your story on social media too! We are having a selfie contest and social media participation contest during RAW. So, tweet/share/post as much as you can about residency, residency doctors and what we do.
How will you be celebrating?
I will be at the provincial legislature meeting with MLAs to talk about our shared interests in healthcare delivery across the province and the role of residents in it. Throughout the week, I will be engaging with other residents, allied healthcare providers, physicians, patients, and the public to talk about resident doctors and the role we play in healthcare.
I’m also going to be active on social media and tweeting as much as I can about resident doctors. And if you see me, ask me for some swag as I will be handing out lots of cool Resident Doctors of BC material too!