No one expected 2020 to take the turn it has, but the Florida College of Emergency Physicians took the complications of this pandemic head on – like any emergency physician would.

The Life After Residency: Thriving Beyond Medicine program was designed to help residents of all levels understand the next step after residency. Much of what is taught during residency is based on clinical practice and understandably, many aspects of physician life and personal success go beyond the bedside. The Life After Residency program was developed to help residents make a smooth and educated transition into being attendings.

This year, the program was split into two parts: a live program that was hosted virtually as well as a robust virtual program for additional content and resources. It was my pleasure to be involved in the planning process and work alongside planning chairs Dr. Robyn Hoelle and Dr. Todd Slesinger.

This year, Dr. Jay Falk led a panel with Drs. Damian Caraballo, Jordan Celeste and Aaron Wohl, discussing the things they wish they knew in residency. This engaging conversation covered financials, contracts, changing jobs and advocacy. The state of emergency medicine is quickly changing, and the additional demands that are placed upon new attendings is growing. With their experienced perspective, residents received a purview on life just outside of one’s training years.

Life After Residency would not be the same without Dr. Tracy Sanson, who has provided thoughtful lessons to this program for several years. Her engaging discussion of self-care moved beyond the understood mantras of doing yoga and taking time for yourself and into the deeper realm of what self-care truly means. Without a doubt, emergency medicine has stressors that test every one of us and she took us beyond the surface, introducing new ways to not only look at ourselves but how to also remain resilient against the pressures we face as clinicians.

One of the most successful talks is our financial wellness discussion. This year we featured Shayne Ruffing, who engaged our residents over some of the nuances of financial freedom, from student loans to retirement. Residency programs are busy teaching the academics of emergency medicine, and we were fortunate to have him extend this to our residents.

With the policies surrounding patient care continually changing, understanding those changes can be difficult. FCEP Lobbyist Toni Large spoke with our residents about the pressing issues of the day—which are many of the issues FCEP fights for at EM Days in Tallahassee.

Although we all have faced many unexpected challenges this year, FCEP and the Life After Residency committee are still committed to providing the highest quality content and education to our members, residents and students.

With positive resident engagement, the virtual events this year were a success. But we are excited to bring the program back to the beach next year at the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach!