Greetings from Sarasota! As the inaugural class, it’s hard to believe we are almost halfway through our intern year.

First and foremost, I would like to say how grateful we are to have received a donation of $800,000 from the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust for new simulation and ultrasound equipment. We’ve received such a warm welcome from our faculty and hospital administration, and we are so grateful to be part of such a wonderful healthcare system. We are also excited to be part of the expanding statewide network of residency programs sponsored by the Florida State University College of Medicine.

Despite our short tenure thus far, we have really begun to make a name for ourselves at the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System by participating in the new joint EM/IM and trauma conferences, presenting didactics, and attending the hospital Quality Improvement meetings. Additionally, our intern class has also been presenting at Journal Club and our Evidence Based Medicine conferences, both led by Dr. Sagar Galwankar. I was lucky enough to attend ACEP19 in Denver, representing our program at the EMRA Representative Council Meeting and the Residency Program Fair with our program director, Dr. Kelly O’Keefe.

Our tight-knit group of nine residents regularly participate in various team-building activities together, including extracurricular bowling, our hospital ED kickball tournament, and participating in a local Habitat for Humanity build. Everything in the hospital and with our group could not be going more smoothly!

It’s hard to believe that interview season has started already, and we cannot wait to see who joins our residency family in just a few short months… ■