TOGETHER WE CAN CREATE A NEW REALITY FOR RESIDENT PHYSICIANS
Better care starts with the Bill of Rights
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, too many interns, residents, and fellows were forced to work in conditions that impaired their ability to provide quality patient care. Facing sleep deprivation, overwork, and inadequate access to medical and mental health treatment, residents caring for their communities were not being properly cared for themselves. Now that hospitals are under an enormous amount of pressure to respond to COVID-19, the challenges residents have faced for generations are only exacerbated.
As professionals in the health care industry, resident physicians see firsthand how a fundamentally broken system has made basic health care services inaccessible to many. Coming out of the COVID-19 crisis, we have an obligation and an opportunity to ensure that the future of medicine is more equitable for all. That’s why, on behalf of resident physicians and patients, we are calling on the health care industry, especially hospitals, ACGME, specialty boards, and elected officials, to recognize the following core rights:
A living wage that allows us to support our families and pay off our educational debts. Employers that profit off of our labor must provide:
- A living wage appropriate to our location
- Subsidized housing or housing stipend
- Family health insurance at no cost to the resident, with discretion about the coverage we receive
- Child care stipend for those with child dependents
