Why Declining To Train Your Residents Is A Missed Opportunity

Paying it forward is a concept I blog about frequently. Occasionally, paying it forward means swallowing your pride to do what is right, even when it seems unfair or wrong.

Recently, I was informed of some attending physicians associated with a residency program opting to no longer participate in the training of the residents. The impetus to the change of heart for these physicians regarding the program, while important to them personally, is not relevant to this conversation. There is a bigger picture at play.

Many years ago, as a primary attending to a residency program, I did the same thing. I thought my principles justified my action. My issue, right or wrong, was that the residents were required to publish a paper to graduate from the program and toward the end of their residency, they had not even begun a paper. I discussed the issue with the residency director to no avail so I stopped allowing the residents to scrub my surgical cases until they completed their research. I was wrong. I should have handled the situation differently. Being older and wiser, I would choose a different approach to deal with a similar situation.

As a residency director, I am fully aware it is my responsibility to ensure those entrusted to my tutelage maximize their educational opportunity. Taking one learning opportunity away to accomplish another does not maximize the learning opportunity.

Every minute of the three-year or four-year podiatric residency is a learning opportunity that residents should not waste or take for granted. Indeed, podiatric physicians should not manipulate this to satisfy a personal vendetta.

Although it is not entirely applicable, I am reminded of the quote most accurately attributed to Cyrus Stuart Ching: “What’s the sense of wrestling with a pig? You both get all over muddy … and the pig likes it.” Maybe it is “two wrongs don’t make a right.” All I know is it does not feel or intellectually seem right to decline to educate residents.
 
If you have the opportunity to educate podiatric residents and you do not, that action screams of hypocrisy. Put yourself in the residents’ shoes and look at the situation from their perspective. They may or may not even have the vaguest idea of why they are being directly or indirectly punished. All they know is they are no longer able to scrub cases with you.

Your attendings were dedicated to your post-graduate medical education. They paid it forward. So should you!

You are a member of the podiatric profession. With membership comes a responsibility to share your knowledge and experience with podiatric physicians entering into post-graduate medical education given the opportunity. The future of the profession depends upon it. Our residents deserve it. Future podiatric patients deserve it. Pay it forward!