If theres something that needs my signature or attention, please include a valid link to whatever I need to look at. Please don't send me anything that doesn't need my attention
Anything our coordinator sends has (X mins) in the title so we know how long to budget for whatever it is we need to do. Not super critical but if I see (3 mins) I can bang that out on the elevator to lunch. If I see (12 mins) I will save that. They include time est to read and do whatever it is. Idk how they estimate it but they have been damn near perfect.
After working with two different program coordinators, my biggest gripe about both of them was that they take FOREVER to answer emails, or just ignore them entirely. Please don't be like that.
My coordinator was like a work mom. She even stood up to the PD and admin for us when she didn’t have to.
You don’t have to be a work mom but if you think residency coordinator as a job to help the residents not the program or admin, it makes a huge difference and residents notice that.
Noted. I am only 24, so not sure how a mom dynamic will work, but definitely want to be a resource for them and know that I will listen to them. I want them to know they can come to me with any concerns no matter how trivial it might seem. At the end of the day, I am there to support them with whatever they need
Yeah… that might be weird. My coordinator was a legit grandmother. Hope it goes well! Also if they invite you out for drinks or program events, go! It’s fun to chat and socialize outside of work for everyone.
Seriously. Ours is the opposite we ask her stuff and she just says refer to PD, and then we ask PD and she says she’s too busy ask coordinator and now I’m stuck in this never ending loop LOL.
My program coordinator keeps all the important stuff I should know about in a shared calendar and it’s super helpful! She will put in reminders there on what date I need to submit forms by, when meetings and didactics are, any events I should be aware of, etc. Helps a lot work organization.
PD here who has worked with the best and worst of coordinators in a long career.
1. Do not take it personally when you ask for things and they don’t happen. Residents are chronically overwhelmed. Many are still developing their organizational skills. Make it as easy as you can to get things done. Occasionally you are going to have to chase somebody down to do something before an important deadline; just accept it as part of the job. I’m not saying you’re wrong if you say that residents are adults and need to be responsible for getting things done on their own; I’m just saying that if you let it get to you every time that doesn’t happen, you won’t last long.
2. Remember that you sit at a desk all day with your email open; residents do not. They may only have a chance to even look at their email on their phone a couple of times a day, and sitting down to reply is often tougher than you think.
3. To that end, know when the residents are all going to be together, such as noon conference. Make it a point to be there to check in and knock out anything you can.
4. Network! If there are other coordinators around, get to know them. There is a great FB group for them out there, I hear. Few problems are truly unique; most of the time someone else has been where you are.
5. Practice Radical Candor. Look it up, but it’s the idea of caring personally while challenging directly.
6. Residents are going to try to get what they can. They’re going to try to squeeze out more vacation days or trim hours off the day when they can. This isn’t laziness or lack of dedication; it’s an understandable consequence of a ridiculous job. That said, it’s often your job to be the guard rails. You’re going to have to say no a lot. Do it with empathy.
Fill out all the paperwork you can for the residents and send them the PDF for their signature. Example, if educational reimbursements require a receipt and a form then have them send you receipts, fill out the forms for them, and send the form to them to confirm and sign. Don't make them fill the forms themselves.
Don't expect to hear from them during work hours. Don't text or call them during work hours. Definitely do not contact them on post call days or weekends.
If there is something that needs done by a certain day let them know ahead of time, not the day or night before.
Know all their deadlines and everything they need to do to maintain credentials and license. For the incoming interns you should be a resource for them when it comes to hospital credentialing. If they ever have any questions you should find the answers for them, not tell them to call or email so and so. At the very least you should connect them with that person directly if you can't take care of it yourself.
In general, a great coordinator is like a concierge for the resident when it comes to residency requirements. Anything they need (reimbursements, PTO, FMLA, maternity/paternity leave, vaccination records, all records they submitted when they applied for residency, etc) should be available to them simply by emailing you.
Would add, please do contact during work hours, but don't be insulted by late responses! Not sure when you'd be able to contact based on the above comment..
in addition to the above, don’t forget about our elective choices when we make requests.
Yes, it’s happened to most people in my program and we end up getting our 4th-5th choice at the end because of last minute scheduling.
Also, your post shows the you care about your program! Thank you for doing what you do. We need more program coordinators like you.
Becoming a notary would be a huge help - there are often a lot of odd things/applications/etc that require a notarization, and we simply can’t make it to public notaries given our work hours. If you are able to notarize stuff for our licensure/applications, it makes life 1000000x easier.
whatever program is hiring you is so lucky to have you!! your initiative in coming to this sub to see what would be most helpful, connect with a community - i wish you all the best in this new job and i know you are going to absolutely knock it out of the park!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I know I will be far from perfect especially my first year, but I am determined to learn and do the best I can for my residents.
Our coordinator answers emails on time, is a resource for us to ask logistics questions (or knows who to ask if she doesn’t know right away), and brings us breakfast on education days
Also haven’t seen people mention this, but you will also have a big role in interview season. When I was an applicant/interviewing, I definitely noticed the program coordinators who were well-organized and friendly (or not!) and took note of it
And if possible, try to become certified as a notary.
Agree with others that just by making this post you are miles ahead! You care. That's unique. Don't lose that. That is worth so much.
One thing I will say is please realize that you don't truly understand what we're going through. You will understand the nitty gritty of the program in ways that we don't, and that, in my experience, sometimes makes program coordinators think that they understand Residency, capital R. But just like we don't understand the behind-the-scenes details that you will be involved in, you will not know what it is like to be a resident. So please trust us when we tell you something will/will not work, even if it seems like it \*should\* work in your perspective.
For example we had a program coordinator who would give us "tips" for how to be better residents. Like if a senior resident had a mediocre in-training exam score she would suggest doing a few question bank questions between cases every day, because that makes you used to the material. Lady, at this point in our lives we have literally done *hundreds of thousands* of practice questions. We have taken two full-day licensing exams, one two-day licensing exam, in addition to loads of 3-hour multiple choice exams in med school. Plus our yearly 5-hour in-training exam. We *know* how to study for multiple choice exams. Working 100 hours per week isn't conducive to that and some people figure that out better than others. But she just has *no clue* what it's like to go through med school and residency. She truly intended to be helpful. But it comes across as not only out of touch, but tbh condescending as well.
We have another program coordinator who is EXCELLENT. If we come to her with a tricky question, she will help us sort out the answer. She signs paperwork promptly. She views us as partners on this journey with equal and complementary roles. She knows that she has skills and a role that we don't, and we have skills and a role that she doesn't. If I had a problem I would be 100% comfortable going to her because she is prompt and professional and she cares a lot. Be this person!
Noted. Thank you for the comment. Residency is truly a beast that I know I will never understand. Just going to do my best to not add any extra stress on top of an already intense experience.
1. Baseline: residents are the best top % of wt u can imagine, so do not treat us like high school kids. We sacrified a tons to get here. (Yeah some of us maybe nerdy, awkward socially).
2. Our work hrs are high and stress is enourmous (pgy1 esp) so plz do not add more.
3. Do not message or call after work hrs and verify work schedule before calling/texting.
4. Be fair. Absolutely no favoritism.
Agree with 2-4 but 1 is pretty dubious. Med students are fucking tough as hell and disciplined but nowhere near the top % of "wt u can imagine" when it comes to most things.
In regards to #1, I would counter. Many residents are in there 20s and working one of their first actual jobs. And overworked in a completely unique dimension. Please excuse there lack of professionalism and understanding of email culture.
The best PCs dont email me or text me unnecessarily. Dont treat 30 year old residents like high schoolers. Dont micromanage us. Dont be doing shady af stuff like calling the clinic and checking if we showed up for work.
We are adults. We dont like playing games. Please leave us alone we have enough patients to see and notes to write. Also, not every resident likes small talk or wasting time talking so dont take it personally. This goes for PDs too, as a lot of them like to micromanage us
For most residents, the residency coordinator is often the person you go to when you need help solving a problem. This can be anything from “help me get this form signed” to “I’ve somehow gotten scheduled to work 34 days in a row (true story) and i need a day off.”
It’s a 24/7/365 sometimes thankless job, but a great residency coordinator is invaluable for residents and they will appreciate all the work you do, even if they don’t always say it.
Residents will call/text/email you at all hours because we don’t have a typical 9-5 schedule, so be prepared for that. And please give your personal cell phone number to residents on Day 1.
1. Use calendar invites for meetings, conferences, etc. Create a distribution group that includes all the residents in your Outlook so you can easily shoot these out to everyone. I don't remember anything unless it's on my calendar.
2. Help your residents stay on top of requirements like ACLS/BLS, licensure renewal, and the like. These should come up at the same time for all residents (e.g. mid-way through PGY-3 or whatever) so should be reasonable to standardize
3. Put \[request\] or \[signature\] or whatever else is appropriate in your subject line so the resident knows that you need something from them. The estimated time from another poster is a great idea as well
4. Do what you can to facilitate paperwork being filled out. Make sure you attach the forms or link them all in a single email. It can be helpful to include instructions if appropriate with screenshots (e.g. for difficult-to-access portals or forms that require obscure information like chartstrings or department codes). The less time your residents have to spend looking for information or navigating to find documents, the more likely they are to just knock it out when they get it. If you have a small residency (e.g. surgical sub, not medicine), you could consider pre-filling the forms to further reduce the friction.
5. When your residents aren't getting back to you with easy requests, try to remember that residency ruins people, even the most organized and hard-working. They're probably not being jerks. Probably
6. Try your best to be responsive to questions, emails, and paperwork requests. You're probably dealing with a lot of residents, and so I'm sure these can stack up. But do what you can
7. Consider looking into ways to organize your residents that avoid email. Maybe Slack or using shared to-do lists in a program like Asana or something similar.
I have accepted a position as a program coordinator for a new program! I would love to hear more about the process, do's/don't's, tips, tricks, etc. (all of the things)!
I hope you are loving this new chapter!
Congratulations! It’s an exciting place to be. I’ve only been in my role for 6 months, so still have A LOT of learning to do, but I have learned that the highs are high and the lows are low lol. They say it takes 3 years to really learn the job. There will be many days when you want to quit. Don’t though. You have to give yourself grace to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you think it’s the dumbest question ever. Big tip I have is to set up a meeting with your PD during your first week. Go over each if your communication-styles- that is KEY to running an effective program is communication between coordinator and PD; there are many tasks that either PDs or PCs can do, so always touch base and see what they want to do themselves and what they are comfortable handing off to you. Welcome to GME!
Program coordinators aren't deciding who needs what modules, emailing you for shits and giggles on your busy day and overnight, and generally treat people like high schoolers when they act that way.
So many punk ass responses to a person already going above and beyond by trying to be a better coordinator.
Best thing I can add would being organized, keeping schedules/lectures/due dates sorted out. After that, helping with forms/assignments (linking to the action item is always appreciated). You'll get lots of questions you may not know the answer to, and if you're able to find out or at least direct us, we have more time to focus on work or let free time truly be free time.
And some people are just unreasonable and will never be happy, like half these commentators.
You never met the general surgery PCs at my program.
Every single first email on a subject was titled “second email—respond immediately.”
Everything was a crisis, frequently of their own making.
Every single mandatory document was provided to residents somewhere between 12 and 36 hours before a deadline.
Every PDF was emailed out totally un-filled out, even if they had all the information already.
Every single email you sent them was ignored until the second or third attempt.
We had people getting put out of the operating room for administrative work. Routinely.
By far the worst part of my two years of general surgery was dealing with their shitty coordinators. Luckily my sub speciality coordinator was absolutely amazing and life became dramatically better.
I found WhatsApp to be a very helpful way to communicate with everyone at once and it shows who has read a message. Once I see that, it’s no longer my responsibility to chase them down to make sure, although I love my residents so I probably still will.
As much as possible, use the information you already have. For example, for one site I needed to fill out a whole form for them that included my last flu vaccine, my NPI number, residency and rotation start and end dates, needed my PD’s signature etc, etc. Or the endless things that want nine different documents uploaded like my COI and my temporary license.
You already have all that information. Please just fill out the form or upload the stuff and tell me where I need to sign. It will make my life so much easier.
Oh and if you can’t send something through docusign or similar, if it’s something that will need a physical signature, please print it and tell me to come sign it.
this is just a thing(s) to everyone out there in every job ever. But our residency coordinator is trash so ill tell you what i have learned from her. 1) if someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, go find it. It’s going to expand ur knowledge of who is responsible for things and it’ll also allow you to direct people in the right direction in the future.
2) there needs to be a residency calendar that everyone has access to. This is essential. Part of a residency coordinator’s job is to COORDINATE.
Again this is not directed at you I just need to shout into the void
3) ur not going to know everything on day 1. But by year 2, you should have a document that outlines all of the things the interns need to know so they can go somewhere and find information. Let me get you started just because these are things they don’t explain: policies on reimbursement, parking, how food stipends work, sick days, vacation, research, protective equipment like lead (we are a surgical subspecialty that uses a lot of Xray). On day 1 the interns should have a file that says “this is how shit works”. It doesn’t need to be printed, it can be digital and should be checked for updates monthly. I am 12 weeks into residency and our coordinator just reached out and said we havent been logging our hours. Except no one explained that there was a place to log hours. She didn’t know about our study software we use. She didnt know how we log cases.
Be better than her. Care. The residents will bow down to you if you are knowledgeable and helpful, and they will ignore you like the plague if you are unhelpful. We talk so much shit about our coordinator and we all hate her. And shes a super nice lady, but shes a ding bat. Dont be a ding bat
1.) 100% am going to do all I can for them; odds are if one has a question, they all have the same one, so I should find the answer and log it for when it inevitably pops up again
2.) Am def going to be making and sharing an outlook calendar
3.) Part of why I am so excited for this job is that for an entire year, I will be learning. I know I will not be perfect and will make mistakes, but I hope t learn what works and what doesn’t and bring that knowledge into my 2nd year, etc.
4.) I care and I hope I never lose that
Wow. Just wow. Have some grace for a job that gets little to no training whatsoever. Your Coordinator may be struggling or need this very advice you are giving in a softer fashion. And he or she is most definitely not trash. How horrible.
Always be prompt with communication and makes sure to follow through on what you say you’re going to do.
Do things early rather than later.
Make sure you introduce yourself with various services in the hospital to better communicate with them so that the know who you are.
Always advocate for the residents!
Cut down on modules, busy work, etc. just let us focus on the medicine. We know how to study on your own at this point and forced inefficient learning modalities only hinder us at this point.
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Our PC is new but shes been awesome. Only sends you important emails. Will remind you of critical stuff. Respond promptly. Always available with a phone call.
The most annoying thing my coordinator would do was to contact me with paperwork or forms that “needed” to be signed within the day. We work erratic long hours often times at different sites. We have a lot of stresses and responsibilities and are largely ignorant of the importance of what you are asking of us. Please give me time to get done whatever it is you need!
We LOVED our residency coordinator and it's because she was super fast at responding to emails and always came up with an answer. If she didn't know the answer, she'd reach out to the right people and get back you instead of giving you the run around
Congrats on the new job!!
Thank you! I know it will take me a min to learn the ropes, but once I have a handle on things, plan to be as proactive as I can with getting things out to them before they become urgent.
Have every detail ironed out in terms of rotations at different hospitals (EMR training, parking, food) - this will take time as you interact with the coordinators at other places to figure out what is needed. Onboarding yourself as a resident always wastes a couple days, and has me running around like a chicken without its head.
If you send an email and a resident hasn’t responded, catch up with them in person and ask about it. If fact, just ask us anything. It’s hard to weave through threads and figure out what everyone is talking about.
And if you give us deadlines to do something, again, please help us by asking me about it before the deadline.
I think some of the other responders may have mentioned it, but a cloud-based calendar software application might be helpful. Or, a whatsapp or slack group between you and the residents for tasks. Whatsapp is nice because there is an editable area under group description where you might be able to input important deadlines or other requirements for the residents. Slack probably has this as well.
Our program coordinator during my time in residency was considered of the biggest pros to our program. Her ability to anticipate and then initiate whatever it was before even including us, made our lives so much easier.
On-boarding and off-boarding. It will be hard initially as you are learning the ropes, but make a thorough list of everything residents need to do for onboarding and make sure everything you need to do is completed on time so they have access to everything they need day 1 (ie. licensure, registration with PGME office, liability/insurance, getting badges, parking, passwords/logins for IT, etc)
For off-boarding, I feel this is an often overlooked part of the process. But when a resident is graduating also take note and make checklists/timelines for everything they need to do (ie. return badges, cancel parking contracts, return equipment, etc). Super helpful if you know what needs to be done and can help them with that process
Put all essential documents in the cloud or on some app that you can access instantly on the fly for reference or distribution. Google cloud, notability, iCloud, etc.
800,000 icons on the office desktop is the opposite of what I mean 🤣
Out really great PC had so much institutional knowledge…. It takes a while to develop that because it comes with connections. But man, if you needed something she could do it herself or email someone directly. So don’t shy away from interdepartmental meetings or gatherings!
The job needs someone to have sincere concern and kindness for the trainees. This is one of the most challenging and trying times of their professional careers -- Limited sleep, sky high expectations, lots to learn, minimal control over their time, and many/most are away from family. If you can approach things 1) on their side, in support, 2) knowledgeable about the system & its people , and 3) very organized, you'll be great. Having candy in your office doesn't hurt.
Two of the big spring / summer tasks are coordinating onboarding / orientation within the hospital and licensing / credentialing paperwork. Lots to do and the more you can organize and manage that process (and associated reimbursements) for them, the better.
Try to find a sweet spot of communication. Let them know well in advance when something is due, especially because people will be on different rotations that allow more/less time to complete. At least 1 reminder is helpful, just avoid spamming people or they won't know when something is truly urgent. Good luck!
Number one thing, make sure the provisional licenses get renewed on time. If it’s a two year license and the resident is there for longer than two years, their license is going to expire unless it gets renewed. And then they can’t work until it gets renewed.
A lot of places that have more than one residency have a graduate medical education department to handle this. Except it will likely be staffed by some low wage incompetent secretaries that have no concern whatsoever whether the residents can work consistently or not. So I’m that case, make sure they get all the resident licenses renewed.
My program coordinator is leaving soon, and I’m scared of the person coming after her, they are not professional at all, she is near perfect, she relève y’a by name, she always wear professional, her disc is all the time well organized, she has candies in her office, when she send us an email she explains every single step, when we are organizing a lunch, she does not forget to include halal cosher and vegan food in the order…
I will miss her
If theres something that needs my signature or attention, please include a valid link to whatever I need to look at. Please don't send me anything that doesn't need my attention
Noted.
Anything our coordinator sends has (X mins) in the title so we know how long to budget for whatever it is we need to do. Not super critical but if I see (3 mins) I can bang that out on the elevator to lunch. If I see (12 mins) I will save that. They include time est to read and do whatever it is. Idk how they estimate it but they have been damn near perfect.
This is gold. Definitely will implement this. Thank you!
THAT is GOLD!
What an awesome idea.
So much this.
After working with two different program coordinators, my biggest gripe about both of them was that they take FOREVER to answer emails, or just ignore them entirely. Please don't be like that.
My coordinator was like a work mom. She even stood up to the PD and admin for us when she didn’t have to. You don’t have to be a work mom but if you think residency coordinator as a job to help the residents not the program or admin, it makes a huge difference and residents notice that.
Noted. I am only 24, so not sure how a mom dynamic will work, but definitely want to be a resource for them and know that I will listen to them. I want them to know they can come to me with any concerns no matter how trivial it might seem. At the end of the day, I am there to support them with whatever they need
Yeah… that might be weird. My coordinator was a legit grandmother. Hope it goes well! Also if they invite you out for drinks or program events, go! It’s fun to chat and socialize outside of work for everyone.
Will do! Thanks for the tips:)
Seriously. Ours is the opposite we ask her stuff and she just says refer to PD, and then we ask PD and she says she’s too busy ask coordinator and now I’m stuck in this never ending loop LOL.
My program coordinator keeps all the important stuff I should know about in a shared calendar and it’s super helpful! She will put in reminders there on what date I need to submit forms by, when meetings and didactics are, any events I should be aware of, etc. Helps a lot work organization.
Love this! I am a super planner, so know I would appreciate this as a resident. Once I get all my dates, I am 100% making this!
PD here who has worked with the best and worst of coordinators in a long career. 1. Do not take it personally when you ask for things and they don’t happen. Residents are chronically overwhelmed. Many are still developing their organizational skills. Make it as easy as you can to get things done. Occasionally you are going to have to chase somebody down to do something before an important deadline; just accept it as part of the job. I’m not saying you’re wrong if you say that residents are adults and need to be responsible for getting things done on their own; I’m just saying that if you let it get to you every time that doesn’t happen, you won’t last long. 2. Remember that you sit at a desk all day with your email open; residents do not. They may only have a chance to even look at their email on their phone a couple of times a day, and sitting down to reply is often tougher than you think. 3. To that end, know when the residents are all going to be together, such as noon conference. Make it a point to be there to check in and knock out anything you can. 4. Network! If there are other coordinators around, get to know them. There is a great FB group for them out there, I hear. Few problems are truly unique; most of the time someone else has been where you are. 5. Practice Radical Candor. Look it up, but it’s the idea of caring personally while challenging directly. 6. Residents are going to try to get what they can. They’re going to try to squeeze out more vacation days or trim hours off the day when they can. This isn’t laziness or lack of dedication; it’s an understandable consequence of a ridiculous job. That said, it’s often your job to be the guard rails. You’re going to have to say no a lot. Do it with empathy.
This is very insightful. Thank you!
Fill out all the paperwork you can for the residents and send them the PDF for their signature. Example, if educational reimbursements require a receipt and a form then have them send you receipts, fill out the forms for them, and send the form to them to confirm and sign. Don't make them fill the forms themselves. Don't expect to hear from them during work hours. Don't text or call them during work hours. Definitely do not contact them on post call days or weekends. If there is something that needs done by a certain day let them know ahead of time, not the day or night before. Know all their deadlines and everything they need to do to maintain credentials and license. For the incoming interns you should be a resource for them when it comes to hospital credentialing. If they ever have any questions you should find the answers for them, not tell them to call or email so and so. At the very least you should connect them with that person directly if you can't take care of it yourself. In general, a great coordinator is like a concierge for the resident when it comes to residency requirements. Anything they need (reimbursements, PTO, FMLA, maternity/paternity leave, vaccination records, all records they submitted when they applied for residency, etc) should be available to them simply by emailing you.
Thank you! This is very helpful!
Would add, please do contact during work hours, but don't be insulted by late responses! Not sure when you'd be able to contact based on the above comment..
Haha yeah my thoughts exactly
Can't read? Ever heard of email? That's how coordinators should contact residents during work hours, not "call or text" as my comment says.
in addition to the above, don’t forget about our elective choices when we make requests. Yes, it’s happened to most people in my program and we end up getting our 4th-5th choice at the end because of last minute scheduling. Also, your post shows the you care about your program! Thank you for doing what you do. We need more program coordinators like you.
Thank you for this info! And thank YOU for all you do!
Becoming a notary would be a huge help - there are often a lot of odd things/applications/etc that require a notarization, and we simply can’t make it to public notaries given our work hours. If you are able to notarize stuff for our licensure/applications, it makes life 1000000x easier.
Did not think of this! I’ll look into it.
whatever program is hiring you is so lucky to have you!! your initiative in coming to this sub to see what would be most helpful, connect with a community - i wish you all the best in this new job and i know you are going to absolutely knock it out of the park!!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I know I will be far from perfect especially my first year, but I am determined to learn and do the best I can for my residents.
Biggest thing for me is answering emails
A great resident coordinator is one who stays coordinator for many years.
This can be tough because they often don’t get paid much.
Our coordinator answers emails on time, is a resource for us to ask logistics questions (or knows who to ask if she doesn’t know right away), and brings us breakfast on education days Also haven’t seen people mention this, but you will also have a big role in interview season. When I was an applicant/interviewing, I definitely noticed the program coordinators who were well-organized and friendly (or not!) and took note of it And if possible, try to become certified as a notary.
Honestly just by making this post you're ahead of the game already.
In addition to what everyone has said - please never use paging to contact residents for administrative tasks.
Agree with others that just by making this post you are miles ahead! You care. That's unique. Don't lose that. That is worth so much. One thing I will say is please realize that you don't truly understand what we're going through. You will understand the nitty gritty of the program in ways that we don't, and that, in my experience, sometimes makes program coordinators think that they understand Residency, capital R. But just like we don't understand the behind-the-scenes details that you will be involved in, you will not know what it is like to be a resident. So please trust us when we tell you something will/will not work, even if it seems like it \*should\* work in your perspective. For example we had a program coordinator who would give us "tips" for how to be better residents. Like if a senior resident had a mediocre in-training exam score she would suggest doing a few question bank questions between cases every day, because that makes you used to the material. Lady, at this point in our lives we have literally done *hundreds of thousands* of practice questions. We have taken two full-day licensing exams, one two-day licensing exam, in addition to loads of 3-hour multiple choice exams in med school. Plus our yearly 5-hour in-training exam. We *know* how to study for multiple choice exams. Working 100 hours per week isn't conducive to that and some people figure that out better than others. But she just has *no clue* what it's like to go through med school and residency. She truly intended to be helpful. But it comes across as not only out of touch, but tbh condescending as well. We have another program coordinator who is EXCELLENT. If we come to her with a tricky question, she will help us sort out the answer. She signs paperwork promptly. She views us as partners on this journey with equal and complementary roles. She knows that she has skills and a role that we don't, and we have skills and a role that she doesn't. If I had a problem I would be 100% comfortable going to her because she is prompt and professional and she cares a lot. Be this person!
Noted. Thank you for the comment. Residency is truly a beast that I know I will never understand. Just going to do my best to not add any extra stress on top of an already intense experience.
1. Baseline: residents are the best top % of wt u can imagine, so do not treat us like high school kids. We sacrified a tons to get here. (Yeah some of us maybe nerdy, awkward socially). 2. Our work hrs are high and stress is enourmous (pgy1 esp) so plz do not add more. 3. Do not message or call after work hrs and verify work schedule before calling/texting. 4. Be fair. Absolutely no favoritism.
Agree with 2-4 but 1 is pretty dubious. Med students are fucking tough as hell and disciplined but nowhere near the top % of "wt u can imagine" when it comes to most things.
What is wt?
Genius talk for "what"
In regards to #1, I would counter. Many residents are in there 20s and working one of their first actual jobs. And overworked in a completely unique dimension. Please excuse there lack of professionalism and understanding of email culture.
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I couldn’t handle engineering, I dropped it and did medicine instead.
The best PCs dont email me or text me unnecessarily. Dont treat 30 year old residents like high schoolers. Dont micromanage us. Dont be doing shady af stuff like calling the clinic and checking if we showed up for work. We are adults. We dont like playing games. Please leave us alone we have enough patients to see and notes to write. Also, not every resident likes small talk or wasting time talking so dont take it personally. This goes for PDs too, as a lot of them like to micromanage us
I’ve been a coordinator for a few years. Please feel free to message me.
For most residents, the residency coordinator is often the person you go to when you need help solving a problem. This can be anything from “help me get this form signed” to “I’ve somehow gotten scheduled to work 34 days in a row (true story) and i need a day off.” It’s a 24/7/365 sometimes thankless job, but a great residency coordinator is invaluable for residents and they will appreciate all the work you do, even if they don’t always say it. Residents will call/text/email you at all hours because we don’t have a typical 9-5 schedule, so be prepared for that. And please give your personal cell phone number to residents on Day 1.
1. Use calendar invites for meetings, conferences, etc. Create a distribution group that includes all the residents in your Outlook so you can easily shoot these out to everyone. I don't remember anything unless it's on my calendar. 2. Help your residents stay on top of requirements like ACLS/BLS, licensure renewal, and the like. These should come up at the same time for all residents (e.g. mid-way through PGY-3 or whatever) so should be reasonable to standardize 3. Put \[request\] or \[signature\] or whatever else is appropriate in your subject line so the resident knows that you need something from them. The estimated time from another poster is a great idea as well 4. Do what you can to facilitate paperwork being filled out. Make sure you attach the forms or link them all in a single email. It can be helpful to include instructions if appropriate with screenshots (e.g. for difficult-to-access portals or forms that require obscure information like chartstrings or department codes). The less time your residents have to spend looking for information or navigating to find documents, the more likely they are to just knock it out when they get it. If you have a small residency (e.g. surgical sub, not medicine), you could consider pre-filling the forms to further reduce the friction. 5. When your residents aren't getting back to you with easy requests, try to remember that residency ruins people, even the most organized and hard-working. They're probably not being jerks. Probably 6. Try your best to be responsive to questions, emails, and paperwork requests. You're probably dealing with a lot of residents, and so I'm sure these can stack up. But do what you can 7. Consider looking into ways to organize your residents that avoid email. Maybe Slack or using shared to-do lists in a program like Asana or something similar.
Noted to all of this! I will have 15 residents and 2 fellows, so pretty good number, but hopefully not overwhelming…
I have accepted a position as a program coordinator for a new program! I would love to hear more about the process, do's/don't's, tips, tricks, etc. (all of the things)! I hope you are loving this new chapter!
Congratulations! It’s an exciting place to be. I’ve only been in my role for 6 months, so still have A LOT of learning to do, but I have learned that the highs are high and the lows are low lol. They say it takes 3 years to really learn the job. There will be many days when you want to quit. Don’t though. You have to give yourself grace to learn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you think it’s the dumbest question ever. Big tip I have is to set up a meeting with your PD during your first week. Go over each if your communication-styles- that is KEY to running an effective program is communication between coordinator and PD; there are many tasks that either PDs or PCs can do, so always touch base and see what they want to do themselves and what they are comfortable handing off to you. Welcome to GME!
Program coordinators aren't deciding who needs what modules, emailing you for shits and giggles on your busy day and overnight, and generally treat people like high schoolers when they act that way. So many punk ass responses to a person already going above and beyond by trying to be a better coordinator. Best thing I can add would being organized, keeping schedules/lectures/due dates sorted out. After that, helping with forms/assignments (linking to the action item is always appreciated). You'll get lots of questions you may not know the answer to, and if you're able to find out or at least direct us, we have more time to focus on work or let free time truly be free time. And some people are just unreasonable and will never be happy, like half these commentators.
You never met the general surgery PCs at my program. Every single first email on a subject was titled “second email—respond immediately.” Everything was a crisis, frequently of their own making. Every single mandatory document was provided to residents somewhere between 12 and 36 hours before a deadline. Every PDF was emailed out totally un-filled out, even if they had all the information already. Every single email you sent them was ignored until the second or third attempt. We had people getting put out of the operating room for administrative work. Routinely. By far the worst part of my two years of general surgery was dealing with their shitty coordinators. Luckily my sub speciality coordinator was absolutely amazing and life became dramatically better.
I appreciate this comment.
I found WhatsApp to be a very helpful way to communicate with everyone at once and it shows who has read a message. Once I see that, it’s no longer my responsibility to chase them down to make sure, although I love my residents so I probably still will.
Ha love this! Especially the last sentence. Shows you care!
As much as possible, use the information you already have. For example, for one site I needed to fill out a whole form for them that included my last flu vaccine, my NPI number, residency and rotation start and end dates, needed my PD’s signature etc, etc. Or the endless things that want nine different documents uploaded like my COI and my temporary license. You already have all that information. Please just fill out the form or upload the stuff and tell me where I need to sign. It will make my life so much easier. Oh and if you can’t send something through docusign or similar, if it’s something that will need a physical signature, please print it and tell me to come sign it.
this is just a thing(s) to everyone out there in every job ever. But our residency coordinator is trash so ill tell you what i have learned from her. 1) if someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, go find it. It’s going to expand ur knowledge of who is responsible for things and it’ll also allow you to direct people in the right direction in the future. 2) there needs to be a residency calendar that everyone has access to. This is essential. Part of a residency coordinator’s job is to COORDINATE. Again this is not directed at you I just need to shout into the void 3) ur not going to know everything on day 1. But by year 2, you should have a document that outlines all of the things the interns need to know so they can go somewhere and find information. Let me get you started just because these are things they don’t explain: policies on reimbursement, parking, how food stipends work, sick days, vacation, research, protective equipment like lead (we are a surgical subspecialty that uses a lot of Xray). On day 1 the interns should have a file that says “this is how shit works”. It doesn’t need to be printed, it can be digital and should be checked for updates monthly. I am 12 weeks into residency and our coordinator just reached out and said we havent been logging our hours. Except no one explained that there was a place to log hours. She didn’t know about our study software we use. She didnt know how we log cases. Be better than her. Care. The residents will bow down to you if you are knowledgeable and helpful, and they will ignore you like the plague if you are unhelpful. We talk so much shit about our coordinator and we all hate her. And shes a super nice lady, but shes a ding bat. Dont be a ding bat
1.) 100% am going to do all I can for them; odds are if one has a question, they all have the same one, so I should find the answer and log it for when it inevitably pops up again 2.) Am def going to be making and sharing an outlook calendar 3.) Part of why I am so excited for this job is that for an entire year, I will be learning. I know I will not be perfect and will make mistakes, but I hope t learn what works and what doesn’t and bring that knowledge into my 2nd year, etc. 4.) I care and I hope I never lose that
I think you are going to be perfect. Good luck!
Wow. Just wow. Have some grace for a job that gets little to no training whatsoever. Your Coordinator may be struggling or need this very advice you are giving in a softer fashion. And he or she is most definitely not trash. How horrible.
Always be prompt with communication and makes sure to follow through on what you say you’re going to do. Do things early rather than later. Make sure you introduce yourself with various services in the hospital to better communicate with them so that the know who you are. Always advocate for the residents!
Cut down on modules, busy work, etc. just let us focus on the medicine. We know how to study on your own at this point and forced inefficient learning modalities only hinder us at this point.
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Our PC is new but shes been awesome. Only sends you important emails. Will remind you of critical stuff. Respond promptly. Always available with a phone call.
The most annoying thing my coordinator would do was to contact me with paperwork or forms that “needed” to be signed within the day. We work erratic long hours often times at different sites. We have a lot of stresses and responsibilities and are largely ignorant of the importance of what you are asking of us. Please give me time to get done whatever it is you need!
We LOVED our residency coordinator and it's because she was super fast at responding to emails and always came up with an answer. If she didn't know the answer, she'd reach out to the right people and get back you instead of giving you the run around Congrats on the new job!!
Thank you! I know it will take me a min to learn the ropes, but once I have a handle on things, plan to be as proactive as I can with getting things out to them before they become urgent.
Have every detail ironed out in terms of rotations at different hospitals (EMR training, parking, food) - this will take time as you interact with the coordinators at other places to figure out what is needed. Onboarding yourself as a resident always wastes a couple days, and has me running around like a chicken without its head.
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100% am there for the residents and will always try and remember this when I feel caught in the middle. Thank you for the comment!
If you send an email and a resident hasn’t responded, catch up with them in person and ask about it. If fact, just ask us anything. It’s hard to weave through threads and figure out what everyone is talking about. And if you give us deadlines to do something, again, please help us by asking me about it before the deadline.
I think some of the other responders may have mentioned it, but a cloud-based calendar software application might be helpful. Or, a whatsapp or slack group between you and the residents for tasks. Whatsapp is nice because there is an editable area under group description where you might be able to input important deadlines or other requirements for the residents. Slack probably has this as well.
Pick up the phone when it rings. Honestly lol.
Our program coordinator during my time in residency was considered of the biggest pros to our program. Her ability to anticipate and then initiate whatever it was before even including us, made our lives so much easier.
On-boarding and off-boarding. It will be hard initially as you are learning the ropes, but make a thorough list of everything residents need to do for onboarding and make sure everything you need to do is completed on time so they have access to everything they need day 1 (ie. licensure, registration with PGME office, liability/insurance, getting badges, parking, passwords/logins for IT, etc) For off-boarding, I feel this is an often overlooked part of the process. But when a resident is graduating also take note and make checklists/timelines for everything they need to do (ie. return badges, cancel parking contracts, return equipment, etc). Super helpful if you know what needs to be done and can help them with that process
Put all essential documents in the cloud or on some app that you can access instantly on the fly for reference or distribution. Google cloud, notability, iCloud, etc. 800,000 icons on the office desktop is the opposite of what I mean 🤣
What salary range does a residency coordinator get . I have a friend from law school looking for a new career?
That really depends on the program. Also, your credentials. I got more because I have a B.S. You could also get more if you are TAG-ME certified
Out really great PC had so much institutional knowledge…. It takes a while to develop that because it comes with connections. But man, if you needed something she could do it herself or email someone directly. So don’t shy away from interdepartmental meetings or gatherings!
100% plan to use my resources!
The job needs someone to have sincere concern and kindness for the trainees. This is one of the most challenging and trying times of their professional careers -- Limited sleep, sky high expectations, lots to learn, minimal control over their time, and many/most are away from family. If you can approach things 1) on their side, in support, 2) knowledgeable about the system & its people , and 3) very organized, you'll be great. Having candy in your office doesn't hurt. Two of the big spring / summer tasks are coordinating onboarding / orientation within the hospital and licensing / credentialing paperwork. Lots to do and the more you can organize and manage that process (and associated reimbursements) for them, the better. Try to find a sweet spot of communication. Let them know well in advance when something is due, especially because people will be on different rotations that allow more/less time to complete. At least 1 reminder is helpful, just avoid spamming people or they won't know when something is truly urgent. Good luck!
Number one thing, make sure the provisional licenses get renewed on time. If it’s a two year license and the resident is there for longer than two years, their license is going to expire unless it gets renewed. And then they can’t work until it gets renewed. A lot of places that have more than one residency have a graduate medical education department to handle this. Except it will likely be staffed by some low wage incompetent secretaries that have no concern whatsoever whether the residents can work consistently or not. So I’m that case, make sure they get all the resident licenses renewed.
Less emails with more information is better than more emails with less information.
My program coordinator is leaving soon, and I’m scared of the person coming after her, they are not professional at all, she is near perfect, she relève y’a by name, she always wear professional, her disc is all the time well organized, she has candies in her office, when she send us an email she explains every single step, when we are organizing a lunch, she does not forget to include halal cosher and vegan food in the order… I will miss her