Join a Union during Residency ?

[albundy]

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my hospital has an option to join a resident union.. it's a bit expensive ( 100 a month or so ) .. is it worth it ?.. any pro , con any experience ?.. I am having a tough time with one attending and was thinking of joining a union so i can get some help if things get worse.... thanks for you input...

bundy

 

[Law2Doc]

my hospital has an option to join a resident union.. it's a bit expensive ( 100 a month or so ) .. is it worth it ?.. any pro , con any experience ?.. I am having a tough time with one attending and was thinking of joining a union so i can get some help if things get worse.... thanks for you input...

bundy

You will be spending money for nothing. Unions are more useful to folks in their permanent lot, not a short transient step in their career. There are already work hour limits in place, and I can't think of much else a union is useful to accomplish, except perhaps group insurance. It's not like you are allowed to go on strike for another 50 cents an hour as a resident. Trying to use a union to help you with an attending is probably going to be as fruitful as putting out a fire with a flame-thrower. There may be retribution (direct or indirect). You never want to be the person who makes waves. Residency is a period of time that passes very quickly -- you just have to get through it. It's hard on everybody due to the work-load, the personalities, the stress. You don't do yourself any favors trying to "fix" things, you do yourself favors by letting them pass you by as quietly and rapidly as possible. And then you move on to better things. Just my opinion.

 

[medicinesux]

I disagree wholeheartedly with the above comment. I strongly believe that every resident that is fortunate enough to have the option of joining a union should definitely do so. As weak and ineffectual as these resident unions maybe, I think it is of utmost importance in showing your solidarity with your coresidents by becoming a member of one. Apathy and disunity are the main reasons why physicians are finding their profession falling apart at the seams in this country. It is about time that we stand up and get rewarded and appreciated for all the hard work we do rather than get taken advantage of.

 

[iMD]

my principles lie with medicinesux, though my apathy sides with law2doc. but im just a lowly med student, what do i know.

 

[Law2Doc]

I disagree wholeheartedly with the above comment. I strongly believe that every resident that is fortunate enough to have the option of joining a union should definitely do so. As weak and ineffectual as these resident unions maybe, I think it is of utmost importance in showing your solidarity with your coresidents by becoming a member of one. Apathy and disunity are the main reasons why physicians are finding their profession falling apart at the seams in this country. It is about time that we stand up and get rewarded and appreciated for all the hard work we do rather than get taken advantage of.

Actually, the person who is the one who "makes waves" tends to be the one who brings disunity (not solidarity) to a program. In many, if not most, residencies, the residents are a very close knit group, thanks to shared status. They are friends in the foxhole, and most of the time have each other's back, are the folks you can vent to, the folks you turn for help. If some go off and join a union, to start targeting specific attendings for admonishment as the above poster was suggesting he wants to do, the attendings will more often than not make folks pay, and that often means whomever is in the firing line, not necessarily the one who started the mess, but rather, those who have his back. So suddenly folks try to disassociate from that person. And that results in the end of the solidarity. Now if there's a specific problem with the residency, I have no problem with the residents as a group talking to the program director about it. No union with dues and formalities, no airing dirty laundry outside of the program's walls, just the residents as a group. But in cases where the OP is "having a tough time with one attending", using a union is absurdly inappropriate, IMHO. That's the kind of time when you just make the best of it and wait until your next month's rotation, when attendings will be different.

 

[Winged Scapula]

In terms of the OP's concerns, it appears that he feels that the attending is more than just unpleasant to him but that she is documenting incidences of his failure as a resident, possibly for termination.

If that is the case, I'm not sure joining a union retroactively, will solve the problem. Most of these resident unions are geared around work hours, salaries, days off, etc. - if you get into a fight with a particular attending, I am not sure they are much protection.

The OP needs to document every incident of what he considers abuse by this attending which will serve him much more readily than any $100 a month union. What do they puroprt to do for you at that charge? Will they provide legal services should you need them?

Ever see rats fleeing a sinking ship? They don't stop to help others. The same can be true for residency as L2D notes...its one thing to talk about a certain attending in the confines of the call room, entirely another for your colleagues to actually risk their career by complaining about him/her in a public forum. He should protect HIMSELF before relying on things like unions or other residents.

 

[simpler2]

Our resident union has already advocated for salary increases that have more than covered union dues. It has also managed to create many initiatives that have improved patient care and continue to address short-comings in patient care. In a large academic center it allows for a unified voice amongst house officers. We have also successfully lobbied local representatives, better parking situations, increased meal allowances, and many other things that I can't recall. Maybe resident unions are dangerous to one's career at some programs but this hasn't been my experience at all.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Our resident union has already advocated for salary increases that have more than covered union dues. It has also managed to create many initiatives that have improved patient care and continue to address short-comings in patient care. In a large academic center it allows for a unified voice amongst house officers. We have also successfully lobbied local representatives, better parking situations, increased meal allowances, and many other things that I can't recall. Maybe resident unions are dangerous to one's career at some programs but this hasn't been my experience at all.

I don't think anyone was claiming that.

Knowing what the OP's beef is, my contention is that residency unions do exactly what yours did: lots of benes for housestaff, etc. I have never heard of one intervening in a professional or personal dispute between a resident and one particular faculty member. He has already told us that no one else has a problem with her.

The OP should join if he feels that he would benefit but not because he feels that it will aid him in his fight against this attending.

 

[dragonfly99]

I don't have an opinion about joining your particular union, but I would only do it if you think it's worth the money. I agree with Winged...doubtful that the union is going to go to bat for you if you get into a knock down drag out with this attending, but I could be wrong. You might want to talk w/one of the resident union reps, in a quiet fashion, only if you feel the person can keep his/her mouth shut and not gossip about this.

I do think you'll get further by just sucking it up and being the very best resident you can...IMHO that tends to be the best defense in these type situations. I have had attendings who I think didn't like me much, but the thing is there were a lot of others who DID, and I think/hope most of the other residents as well,so the ones who disliked me I don't think would have gotten very far had they tried to hang me out to dry. That's what you have to do...try and make yourself bullet proof. Work harder than anyone else and be nice to everyone, and try to be as smart as you can (i.e. study). Also, don't let this one person drag you down mentally, if possible. If you do feel that damaging things are being documented, I'm not sure how you can defend against that, other than writing really good notes/documentation and trying to take extra good care of patients on that particular service w/that attending. It is no doubt a difficult situation, but I'm not sure the union can bail you out of this.