Thank A Resident Day, Feb. 28, offers chance to show ‘housestaff’ our appreciation

[A collage of images of Department of Medicine staff preparing for Thank A Resident Day, a celebration of physicians training in residency programs and all the work they do teaching students and treating patients as hospital housestaff]The Department of Medicine Vice Chair of Education Office and Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson Campus are uniting to promote “Thank a Resident Day,”  which falls on Friday, Feb. 28.

They would like to get as many thank you notes as possible to share with the department’s residents. See a mini-photo gallery below and a QR code to where you can share your photos, too.

“Little acts of kindness go a long way and I know many would be so grateful!” said Amy Sussman, MD, Department of Medicine vice chair of education and director of the Internal Medicine Clerkship, as well as a professor and fellowship program director in the Division of Nephrology.

[A guide from the Gold Humanism Honor Society for Thank A Resident Day programming essentials.]Nationally, the recognition event – held on the last Friday in February – has been an initiative of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation since 2018 to highlight the importance of resident physicians and to encourage medical students to show gratitude for their contributions to health care.

Residents and fellows serve across the country as hospital “house staff” and are an integral part of the health care education team as well.

[A QR code that takes people to a Gold Humanism Honor Society webpage where they can post photos in honor of Thanks A Resident Day.]Use the QR code  (at right) – or this link – to upload your own photos celebrating residents to a Gold Humanism Honor Society webpage.

More than 800 residency sites are participating this year, including the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson.

On Monday, Bersabe Lopez, a staffer in the VCOE Office and Nephrology Fellowship program coordinator, was arranging stickers for faculty and staff to attach to notes for residents that she’s collecting. Email her to participate.

And Internal Medicine Residency Program – Tucson staffers Jazmine Aguilar and Yuvia Anaya were decorating the wall outside their offices with St. Patrick’s Day-themed thank you notes personalized for each of their residents.

The Tucson internal medicine residency program has graduated roughly 1,000 physicians since its inception in 1972. The largest residency program at the college — with 124 current residents, Tucson’s program has more than twice as many as the college’s next largest program, the General Surgery Residency at 60 residents. And it has roughly a third more residents than the IM program at the College of Medicine – Phoenix (at 85 residents), making it also the largest residency in the state.

In addition to treating patients, our Residents as Teachers Program also puts them in the role of instructor for medical students at the college as well. And many participate in research projects also, particularly as they move into fellowships following residency training here.

That position and long history of excellence is a source of pride in Tucson. [Laura E. Meinke, MD, and Mary Gosciminski]

“We appreciate our residents who dedicate countless hours to learning, caring and improving lives — your hard work, compassion, and resilience make a lasting impact,” said Laura Meinke, MD, Internal Medicine Residency Program director, and Mary Gosciminski, the program manager. “Thank you for your unwavering commitment to healing and for shaping the future of medicine.”

[Clara Curiel-Lewadrowski, MD]The Advanced Dermatology Residency Program is planning a gathering with balloons and cake to celebrate its residents Friday afternoon.

“The Dermatology Division takes immense pride in our residents. We wholeheartedly commend their dedication to the program and their strong commitment to patient care, continuous growth, and professionalism. It is joy to train this next generation of dermatologists,” said Clara Curiel-Lewandrowski, MD, division chief and residency program director.

Be sure to add your thanks to resident (and fellow) contributions as housestaff to making the health care system here and across the country work so well on behalf of medical students and patients.

MINI-PHOTO GALLERY *
* Click on images to enlarge. Rollover image with mouse for captions.

[Arranging stickers and flyers to promote Thank A Resident Day is Bersabe Lopez, a staffer in the Vice Chair of Education Office and program coordinator for the Nephrology Felllowship at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson.] [Stickers from the Gold Humanism Honor Society which has sponsored Thank A Resident Day on the last Friday in February since 2018.] [Bersabe Lopez rearranges the Thank A Resident Day stickers after a faculty member in the Division of Infectious Diseases had formed them into the word, H.E.L.P.]

[Jazmine Aguilar (left) and Yuvia Anaya, from the Internal Medicine Residency Program in Tucson (the largest residency program at the College of Medicine – Tucson and in the state) posting thank you notes to each of the 124 residents in the program.] [Messages on the Thank A Resident notes – formed in the shape of shamrocks for the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day holiday – say, “You make a real difference every day,” and “Your passion for patient care is truly inspiring!” and other thoughtful compliments.] [The Tucson Internal Medicine Residency Program’s Yuvia Anaya tapes a final shamrock with a thoughtful Thank A Resident Day message onto the wall of thanks in front of the residency program offices.]

(Photos courtesy of David Mogollon, Communications Manager, Department of Medicine)

Release Date: 
02/26/2025 - 2:15pm