What I learned at FUTURE: A chief resident’s perspective

Follow along as we experience FUTURE with Rick Hiciano, MD, third-year resident in family medicine psychiatry and chief resident of the University of Iowa Family Medicine Residency.

We drove from Iowa to Kansas City, Missouri, on the first day of FUTURE, arriving in time to set up our booth before more than 1,000 students flooded the Expo Hall in search of their future residency programs. As you can see, Monika Jindal, MD, director of our combined Family Medicine/Psychiatry Program, and I made sure our booth had plenty of Hawkeye Spirit.

FUTURE is a great time to get to know students who might later interview with your program, but it also strengthens bonds between residents and faculty. During three days together in a cramped convention center booth, we learned more about how dedicated our program director is to our residency and the success she wants for all our residents and future residents.

Seeing my colleagues share their passions and joys with the numerous students we spoke with was fun. When they weren’t helping us recruit students, our program’s delegates to the Resident Congress were representing our program well in their advocacy and policy efforts.

Seeing my colleagues live their passion and share it both with students in the Expo Hall and in the congress reminded me why I chose Iowa and how happy I am to be part of such an amazing group of physicians.

Recruiting future family medicine residents

Talking to students is the heart of FUTURE conference. Hundreds of residencies from across the country come to Kansas City each summer for the opportunity to promote their programs. We met many talented students who our program would be lucky to have. We loved learning about students’ hobbies and activities, favorite foods and travels around the country and world. These are the qualities and experiences that we love to see in our applicants. We know about your commitment to patients, but we also love to hear about the passions that keep you grounded and connected with patients.

Networking can be fun

Recruiting is important, but residents should also take advantage of opportunities to talk to people from other programs, vendors and recruiters. Here I am playing Operation (poorly) as I tried to make the game’s leaderboard in the DocsWhoCare booth. This organization helps rural hospitals fill staffing needs in emergency department, inpatient and outpatient settings through moonlighting and locums positions.

Learning about career options in family medicine

There’s time for fun at FUTURE, but there’s also some serious information gathering that occurs. Residents enjoy helping student find the next step in their training, but FUTURE is also a chance for us to network, build professional relationships and secure the jobs or fellowships we worked hard for.

One consideration for me is direct primary care, which allows physicians to care for patients without the hassles of insurance. Though not for everyone, this is a growing path we should learn about while investigating our many career options in family medicine.

I enjoy giving back in any way I can, and the blood drive that happened on site was a quick and efficient way to do so. Thanks to all those who donated!

Family medicine residents work hard, and we party hard, too! FUTURE featured an awesome live music performance Friday night after a long day of sessions and workshops. The event at the Midland Theatre was open to all students, residents, faculty and vendors. Here is our Iowa FM/FMP group sneaking in a quick photo between dancing, snacks and lip-syncing 2000s music throwbacks.

My key takeaway from FUTURE

The FUTURE conference is a chance for students and residents alike to network, build meaningful connections, and discover opportunities that can shape our careers. Whether it’s playing Operation or learning how colleagues provide coverage at concerts, there’s always something new to learn about the many paths available in family medicine. For students, that connection could be a foot in the door at your dream residency program. For residents, it could lead to a future job or collaboration. Whatever your dream may be, it can start at FUTURE.