We hope this letter finds all in good spirits. And, despite all outside influences, we, the Internal Medicine Program at Tulane University, remain positive. By now, you all know about the effects of Hurricane Katrina and its devastating blow to the people of New Orleans. You are also thinking about, or in the process of, applying to residency programs. You may be completing your personal statement to send to all the program directors across the country. Your particular statement likely mentions self-sacrifice and dedication to improving the health of those around you. You want to separate yourself from the crowd by stating how much effort you are willing to put into your residency training. We also stated those things while applying to residency programs.
Well, if actions speak louder than words, then the Tulane Internal Medicine Residency Program shouted during the aftermath of Katrina. Despite having flooded homes we have not seen for a month, and being either scattered throughout the country or stranded in Charity, Tulane, or the VA hospitals, we have remained steadfast to the mission statement of our program. Even those of us with just two months exposure to New Orleans and its rich heritage have chosen to return after being given ample opportunity to finish our training elsewhere. We are extremely proud to say we have 100% of our residents and interns returning despite some of us losing everything. People are even asking to transfer in to the Tulane Medicine Residency program. That speaks volumes to the strength of our program and the wonderful people who run it. To see who we are up close and personal, please go to our website at
www.tulanemedicine.com.
Immediately after the storm, our administration initiated a well-thought out plan to return to our beloved city. Currently, the population of the greater New Orleans area is significantly reduced, but is steadily retuning to its pre-storm volume. As people return, we want to be in place to provide continuous care. Tulane has opened Lakeside Hospital as a full-service facility and we are running the medicine wards there until downtown Tulane is back. We are also working on the USS Comfort, which is a fully functional hospital on a Naval ship. We are running several ambulatory clinics in the city that were set up independently by the residents and made official by the university. We will also work out of Lakeview Hospital in Covington until our main locations are up and running. We are hopeful that we will have a presence at Charity Hospital by December and also at the VA and Tulane before the end of the year.
Just as people are phasing into the city, our residents are also returning in waves. We have established this method to continue to provide our residents with the excellent learning opportunities of higher volumes of patients. Besides those previously mentioned, we have two other groups of residents in Louisiana and Texas. One group is working in the VA and Charity Hospitals of Pineville/Alexandria, Louisiana, while another is working at the VA of Houston through Baylor (though both sets of teams are fully Tulane run).
This catastrophe has tested our resolve, and we have proven ourselves to be stronger than ever. Katrina has proven that all residents in our program believe in a cause bigger than themselves. With that, we are excited about the prospect of having even more residents with the same courage to face uncertainty with unwavering devotion to the care of our city and its underserved population.
Despite the destruction that Hurricane Katrina brought to the city of New
Orleans and the many other areas of the Gulf Coast, we would like to say that we are STILL HERE. We are STILL STRONG. And we are STILL UNFALTERING in our dedication to the people of New Orleans. With that, we are excited about the possibilities of getting yet another intern class for 2006 that is willing to put all fears aside and rebuild this wonderful city. Tulane internal medicine is indeed open for business and we are looking forward to a having yet another stellar intern class come July 1.
This letter is directed to one type of medical student: a student who has
dedicated herself/himself to serving the underserved; that person who wants to make a great difference in the lives of those around them. This letter is
addressed to the student who could literally feel a hurt in his heart
watching the constant coverage of the devastation Hurricane Katrina brought to the people of the Gulf Coast. To come to Tulane is the perfect opportunity to live up to all you have said in every application relating to medical school and residency. This is your chance to prove to yourself that your dedication to medicine could not be stronger.
Sincerely,
The Residents
Internal Medicine Residency
Tulane University
www.tulanemedicine.com
