Resident Reflections
Joyce Eum, M.D.
PGY 1
Starting from the meet and greet, the Danbury surgical residency made a strong impression on me. Every program that I interviewed at mentioned having a “strong collegiate environment” and “great work-life balance,” but I could tell that Danbury was genuine in those statements. Since being here, I have truly grown professionally and personally. Every day I feel supported by my colleagues and attendings. I am so glad that I chose to be a part of this program and am confident that Danbury will provide me with the resources that I need for me to achieve my future goals.
Ronald Truong, M.D.
PGY 2
I chose to train at Danbury Hospital because of the opportunity to work with a focused group of surgeons that would provide personalized growth to my future as a surgeon. Being a busy level 2 trauma center with 20+ operating rooms, every resident is a crucial team member of this program. Whether it is operating as early as intern year or running traumas, the individualized attention and responsibility make this training unparalleled. The program has a 24-hour simulation center where scenarios and procedure are practiced in a safe space, dedicated didactics time, and a strong research focus with resolute librarians that performs literature search for all residents. The camaraderie between the residents and attending allows trainees to have shared decision-making and undertake operations and patient care as their own. I am so glad to have joined the Danbury Hospital General Surgery family!
Litton Whitaker, M.D.
Research Resident
The faculty is invested in the residents. It is clear from interactions in the OR to didactics that they care about how we are doing inside and outside the hospital. Additionally, these relationships with attendings develop early. You can expect to be one-on-one with the attending in the OR during the first few months of training.
I chose Danbury Hospital for its commitment to surgical education, focus on early operating room experience and the community created by residents and faculty that makes 80 hours a week do-able. Speaking with the residents on the interview trail- it was clear that Danbury Hospital had a true appreciation for work life balance and how diverse life experiences can shape and benefit clinical performance.
Mary Kate Winslow, M.D.
PGY 3
I was originally attracted to Danbury for the large hospital feel in a tight-knit community setting. I feel like I get exposure to a wide variety of surgical pathology, yet still know everyone’s name at the end of the day. What has kept me here, however, is the support that I get from my fellow residents. We have a great group that really looks out for each other, both in and out of the hospital. Even after spending 20+ hours together during the week, we still find time to grab a meal or a drink together post-call. I feel like that’s something you don’t find everywhere, and honestly it makes me excited to come to work every day.
Krist 
, M.D.
PGY 4
Coming from AUC, our medical school had many specialty options to rotate at Danbury Hospital, so the hospital was well known to me. Word around was that Danbury Hospital is a beautiful, state of the art hospital with friendly staff and a nourishing learning environment that everyone wanted to land a residency at. Everyone at our school wanted to rotate at Danbury for a foot in the door and seats filled up quickly. I decided to schedule a surgical sub internship and found exactly that. The hospital looked polished the moment you stepped into the lobby. The attendings are all friendly and wonderful to work with which is sometimes difficult to find in medicine let alone surgery. The residents are like a family who all quickly became my closest friends. Aside all that, the training is state of the art and operative exposure is second to none.
Arash Rahimi, M.D.
PGY 5
Day in the life of a resident
- 5am: Wake up, get ready and head to work
- 5:30am: I get to the resident work-room and chart review all of the patients with regards to vitals,
ins/outs, labs, and any notable overnight events. I also read up on any new admissions or consults
overnight (if there are any) - 6am: We receive sign-out from the overnight team and then proceed with morning rounds, where the
resident team (including the chief, myself, the intern, and medical students) efficiently sees all of our
patients and checks in regarding any issues they had overnight and their progress - 7am: We briefly “run the list” (which is going over each patient and quickly discussing our plans for the
day for each). We then call the attendings and go over their specific patients in detail to solidify the
plans for those patients. We also split up notes to write as a team and ensure that any low electrolytes
are replaced - 7:15am: After rounds we then split off for our respective duties, for the chief and midlevel residents,
this often is operative cases for the day. The interns also get to operate however also focus on enacting
all the discussed plans. I see that I have 2 colectomies today. As I head to the pre-operative holding area
I recall the anatomy, steps of the operation, and any useful advice I’ve picked up from prior cases. I
introduce myself to the first patient in the holding area and quickly go over what their day is going to
look like with regards to the operation. I then head over to the OR we’ll be in and check in with the staff
there. Usually at this time I also give the scrub tech my sterile gown and gloves for the case - 7:30am: The case is underway! The attending and I go over each of the steps as we perform them as
well as review relevant anatomy that we see and tips and tricks for the next time. - 11am: After the first case ends, I write the appropriate post-operative orders and brief operative note
detailing what we did. Often the attending also rounds on his/her patients between cases so I
accompany them for rounds at this time. I then check in with the team to sign out the patient I just
operated on, as well as for any updates and to see how the plans are going and if any help is needed.
Thankfully, all is under control. I still have 10-15 minutes before my next case soI decide to grab a quick
bite to eat as I know the next case will also last a few hours and I don’t want to feel hungry during it.
Lunchtime can often vary during the day depending on the timing of the cases that are going. I feel that
it’s always better to eat something when you can. I then head back to the OR for the next case. - 3pm: After the second case ends, I check back in with the team to run the list again to ensure that all
the plans were completed during the day and help out where it is needed. We also ensure the list is
updated for the evening team, and that the patients all have the relevant labs ordered for the morning. - 5pm: We sign out to the overnight float team regarding our patients and pertinent issues to follow-up
on or be aware of overnight. I then head home for the day! - 5:30pm – 10pm: Every night I make sure that I prepare for and read up on my cases for the following
day and do some general studying. All this together takes up about 1-2 hours of my evening. The other
time is my own! Some of the activities I do on various evenings include going to the gym, hanging out
with my co-residents outside of work, making dinner, watching TV - 10pm: Bedtime!
