DR. ANDREW STARNES ON LEADING RAMS THROUGH A PANDEMIC WHILE SURVIVING — AND THRIVING — IN RESIDENCY Now as a third-year resident do you have any tips on surviving, perhaps even thriving, during residency?
The first thing is to start out right by picking the right specialty. Be very real about what your strengths and weaknesses are, then find the specialty (and residency) that best fit them. Each specialty offers unique benefits and challenges. Make sure the combination is well suited to your priorities and natural tendencies. For instance, I think the hardest part of emergency medicine is the combination of oscillating sleep schedules with a hectic and high-pressure practice environment. Add on an often difficult social work component and it’s pretty clear how it would wear on someone. I personally don’t mind the sleep issues as much as most, generally enjoy the pressure, and don’t mind the social work aspects. If you like emergency medicine but struggle with one of these things, look for ways to change your perspective. If you really find more than one aspect challenging, it may not be the field for you.
Born in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Andrew Starnes was raised in Quilcene, WA, a small logging town on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, where he graduated from a high school class of 25 students. He graduated from medical school at the University of Oklahoma where, after deciding on emergency medicine, he added an additional year for an MPH with a focus in health administration and policy. Dr. Starnes is presently a third-year emergency medicine resident at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. While a third-year medical student at Oklahoma he applied to be a medical student ambassador for SAEM16 in New Orleans. This was followed by a one-year term serving on the inaugural RAMS (Resident and Medical Students) Board of Directors as a member at large. After serving for a year on the SAEM Membership Committee he was elected to the RAMS Board of Directors as the secretary-treasurer and, subsequently his current position as RAMS Board President. Dr. Starnes was interviewed by Aaron R. Kuzel, DO, MBA, a PGY-2 at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, and the new associate editor of the RAMS section for SAEM Pulse.
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As for thriving, have wholesome activities that keep you grounded and help you decompress. For me it’s spending time with my family and hiking. Binging on TV is easy but engaging in something that allows you to unwind while building or achieving something else is ultimately more fulfilling and will help you recharge better than being entertained.
Who are some mentors who’ve helped shape your career so far and how did you find these mentors? I had two docs in undergrad whom I spent around 200 hours shadowing. Dr. Michael Packer and Dr. Edwin Wells were wonderful examples who showed me early on that providing the highest quality of care requires really caring about the patients. I found them by asking around and was really lucky to have met them both.
In medical school Dr. Bo Burns at the University of Oklahoma was a terrific mentor. As our department chair he looked for opportunities to provide encouragement and that meant the world to me as a student. It helped me see what kind of a leader I would want to be if I were to find myself in a similar position someday.
