July 8, 2002

Marking medical career beginnings with house staff orientation

It is a rite of passage for all new physician trainees at the MGH -- house staff orientation.During June and July, hundreds of interns, residents and fellows participate in the orientation process at the MGH, spending a full day learning about hospital policies, departments and resources before going to their individual departments for additional training.

For the 2002-2003 academic year, the MGH is welcoming approximately 120 interns, 105 first-year specialty residents and 115 clinical fellows to the hospital. The interns are beginning their initial clinical training after medical school, while first-year specialty residents have already completed an internship in medicine or surgery. Clinical fellows have completed three to five years of training in a core specialty such as psychiatry, neurology, orthopaedics or pediatrics. These new trainees are matriculating in 16 residency and 43 fellowship programs, which are sponsored by 13 clinical departments.

Through all the chaos associated with orientation, these employees also will learn about one of the many resources they will come to rely on during their entire training at the MGH — the Graduate Medical Education (GME) Office. Led by Debra Weinstein, MD, Partners vice president for GME, David Soybel, MD, Partners associate director for GME, and coordinated by Georgi Bland, the GME Office works with program directors and coordinators from various departments to provide support to residents and fellows.

"The MGH and Partners offer a vast array of residency and fellowship programs that face many common challenges," says Weinstein. "The GME Office advocates for the MGH's educational mission and also helps program leadership and individual trainees navigate problems they may face."