Residency at Howard University Hospital for me has been an interesting and exciting experience to date. I started later than my colleagues due to delays with my H1b visa, however from the first day; the program director - Dr Sealy - was full of support. I also found Ms. Chaires the program co-ordinator extremely helpful in the process of relocating from England. Having sorted the visa problems out, I commenced my residency in earnest and it has been quite a journey. First year was hectic, but interesting with lots of new friends to make, academic activities daily and the challenges of caring for mostly underprivileged people. This I found extremely exciting and I loved attending all the conferences, not to talk of medical jeopardy!

The ancillary services are great though I think it deprives us of honing skills like venepuncture. The work load I always found bearable and teamwork is great here. With each passing day, I just love the whole program more and of course it has to do with the lighter schedule and more learning opportunities. Because Howard is like the United Nations, I felt at home here, and the residents interact like one big family and the cultural diversity is really exciting. The advantage of the multicultural environment is exceptional, with lots of shared experiences like pathology/ health care in various countries. We also get to sample various cultural dishes to the delight of our GI system.

The relationship between the residents and faculty here is excellent, and I have worked with some of the most approachable attending physicians in my experience. Another great thing here is the Resident quarters which are probably the best in the DC Metro and of course most of us make good use of the facilities here, from the copier which is free, to internet access for various educational materials, to the widescreen TV for sports and news and the not so wide bed for sleeping.

I must confess I was initially shocked at the level of poverty afflicting the patient population and to discover that people were uninsured and could not afford health care in America, but soon discovered that there are lots to be done to help out and that the social workers do a great job. In addition to a great work environment, the program is quite family friendly and I remember all the support given to me at the time of my mother’s death. I also did get some time off to spend with the family when my son was born. I believe we can strive to continuously improve and the program director usually values resident input.

Things that can be improved upon include the orientation program offered by the GME with special emphasis on individuals who are arriving from out of country. However the residents are great in helping those arriving from other places to settle-in, and this site was built to assist in that process and to provide a network of friends. I hope to see you here.

Dr. Ike Akunyili

PGY 2, November 2006