Currently, more than 1,100 residents and fellows train for graduate medical education at UAB Heersink School of Medicine across 98 programs, 74 of which are unique to UAB in Alabama.
The House Staff Council is a group of residents and fellows that meets monthly with Graduate Medical Education (GME) Office leadership to represent the voice of residents and fellows throughout all programs. These program-appointed representatives advocate for trainees by discussing issues related to resident work and addressing needs or concerns with GME leaders.
House Staff Council leadership positions are served by rotating terms. Below, a few of the outgoing leaders speak about their time on the HSC and look ahead to the future of HSC leadership.
Adam Lucy, M.D.
Research, General Surgery Residency Program
2022-2023 HSC Position
Vice President
How long have you been part of the House Staff Council?
Three years
Why did you want to be involved?
I wanted to get involved in HSC to make sure that residents and fellows were involved in hospital administration and had a voice in decision making as we play a large role in making the hospital run. Providing hospital leadership with front line insight regarding the planning, design and delivery of care is important to me, and the residents and fellows have a powerful voice that needs to be shared.
What led you to becoming an HSC leader?
As a member at large for general surgery, I got to see how efficiently and effectively my co-surgery residents and past HSC Presidents ran our group and the real impact their leadership had over the resident experience, and I wanted to help take the group to the next level.
What project during your HSC leadership are you most proud of?
I am proud of getting to be part of the Hospital's Electronic Order task force and help push surgical services over the finish line to implement Vocera at its full potential. I am also proud of the work our colleagues have done to make it easier to access healthcare appointments for housestaff.
What upcoming initiatives are you looking forward to, from your team and/or from future HSC leadership?
I am excited to see how HSC can continue to shape what the future of healthcare and childcare for house staff can look like. I can also see the momentum for resident wellness and optimizing benefits for house staff as well as synergizing the consult optimization work across all service lines.
Kevin Shrestha, M.D.
PGY-4, Obstetrics and Gynecology
2022-2023 HSC Position
Secretary
How long have you been part of the House Staff Council?
Two years
Why did you want to be involved?
There are common problems that we as trainees face, independent of specialty. The HSC is uniquely positioned to be able to explore these issues and attempt to find solutions. I wanted to be a part of the HSC to advocate for my fellow trainees and improve training conditions.
What led you to becoming an HSC leader?
After spending the first year as a representative, I enjoyed learning from the HSC leaders and seeing a raised concern develop into a committee creating policies for actual change. I wanted to be a part of the administration that helps to lead the implementation of these changes.
What project during your HSC leadership are you most proud of?
I am proud of the fact that we continue to update and improve our previous initiatives to include additional needs that were discovered after implementation. A part of that includes expanding the GME-sponsored Rideshare to not only include transportation between university and hospital facilities, but to include transportation to and from work for residents too fatigued to drive after call or night shifts. Another improvement we made comes from a previous initiative regarding food availability on nights and call shifts. Feedback had been received regarding increased choices and options for vegetarians, and we were able to update and replenish this supply.
What upcoming initiatives are you looking forward to, from your team and/or from future HSC leadership?
I am excited to see the implementation of the HSC Consult Guide, made to be a resource for service specific consults, including details such as contact information, staff coverage, common clinical questions and requested orders, and other logistics related to consulting other services. In addition, I am looking forward to working with our Wellness Chair to continue to create events to bring our residents and fellows together outside of work.
Stephanie Rakestraw, M.D.
Research, General Surgery Residency Program
2022-2023 HSC Position
Wellness Chair
How long have you been part of the House Staff Council?
Two years
Why did you want to be involved?
I wanted to be involved with House Staff Council to help make UAB better for all residents and fellows, and to get to meet people from other specialties that I otherwise would only interact with at work.
What led you to becoming an HSC leader?
I wanted to be an HSC leader to help implement initiatives to improve the resident and fellow experience. It is easy to get caught up in training and loose parts of yourself that give you energy, and providing ways for residents and fellows to maintain their wellness has always been very important to me. I also wanted to help different programs have the opportunity to interact outside of the hospital setting and get to know each other in a different capacity.
What project during your HSC leadership are you most proud of?
I am most proud of our house staff socials. Getting to bring together all of our residents and fellows and have a fun and relaxing evening is such a morale boost, and I'm so glad I got to play a part in facilitating them.
What upcoming initiatives are you looking forward to, from your team and/or from future HSC leadership?
I am looking forward to breaking ground on the wellness center. I think it's such a testament to how much UAB cares about the house staff that we are able to make a place for trainees to relax and decompress while at work.