Blog

By SUMNER ABRAHAM, MD
Core Faculty
Internal Medicine Residency | Baptist North Mississippi

We are fast approaching one of the of the most fun times of the year in Graduate Medical Education (GME) — The Match. With an unprecedented virtual interview season across the country, the intricacies and permutations of creating your rank list have the possibility to be more complicated than ever.

When I was applying to Internal Medicine residency, I was convinced I could game the system with a sophisticated Excel file. Accounting for every possible objective variable would eliminate the possibility of a bias or inaccurate judgement and allow me to formulate the ideal rank list. I had columns for amount of NIH funding per year, health insurance benefits, call schedule, elective time, livability of the town, cost of living, and many others. They were all weighted in such a way to minimize the inevitable demands residency would place on me. I could go on, but I think you get the point. There is a tendency to emphasize data when making these types of decisions.

Reflecting on my own experience along with the experience of countless residents and medical students I have counseled and mentored over the years, there are really two factors that seem to be universally true in landing in the right spot, and neither of them were on my spreadsheet.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, said two and a half millennia ago: Judgement is always fallible, but it is always necessary. You will make mistakes during your training, but you must learn from them rather than be destroyed by them. In order to be buoyed amidst this inevitability, you must have mentorship that you can trust and depend on. The faculty at your program must be committed to mentorship, getting to know who you are, your context, your story irrespective of what your career aspirations are. There is a difference between career advising and mentorship and ensuring that this is built into your program is vital. Good mentorship should not be contingent on a resident’s personality. The foundation of good mentorship is faculty who are interested in your story. You will not find a more approachable or kind group of faculty than there is at Baptist North Mississippi. As a resident, you will have a healthy amount of independence that allows one to establish authentic confidence through progressive autonomy and be prepared for independent practice even before graduation.

Closely linked to mentorship, it is vital that the right spot is linked to your sense of place. No matter what program, specialty, or call schedule, you must enjoy the city where you live during your training. There should be accessible activities for you regardless of your cultural or recreational preferences. It is difficult to enjoy where you work if you do not primarily enjoy where you live. Oxford, MS, is a charming, culturally robust, and vibrant community that is more diverse than any city in our state. The academic community with the University, the literary community with Square Books and William Faulkner’s home, the athletic community with SEC sports, and the culinary community with James Beard award-winning restaurants scattered across town provides innumerable opportunities to create a sense of place.

This is an exciting time, and I wish you the best in The Match! My hope for you, regardless of where you end up, is that you have dependable mentorship and a place that you will be glad to call home during your training. We hope to see you at Baptist North Mississippi this summer!