Hanaa al-Khasa Nik Rushdi, MD
PGY-3 Resident
We were so thrilled to be able to host the Southeast Regional NMPRA conference this year. We had sunny skies, friendly attendees, handmade signs and the support of medical students, residents and attendings of East Carolina University.
Our goal was to learn how to successfully transition kids with complex medical problems into a successful adulthood. We explored the nuances of congenital heart diseases, sickle cell disease and chronic kidney disease. We were even able to learn the physiologic differences when it comes to treating sepsis in children and adults. We were also enlightened by Dr. Maria Ferris and the health outcomes of the Healthcare Transitions Consortium. We were grateful for our keynote speaker, Dr. S. Ray Mitchell, Dean of Georgetown Medical School. He showed us how Med Peds as a residency, like the children and adults we care for, has successfully transitioned to a healthy, professional, respected career path for thousands of physicians.
We had a great group of medical students attend the conference. Our second goal was a little likepreaching to the choir but we wanted to show them just how amazing being a Med Peds physician can be. We hope that whatever career decision they make, they’ll be as happy as we all are. Between lectures, we made sure to enjoy the beautiful NC day together. We also played a fun game of trivia – both board review questions and interesting southern trivia. Winners received door prizes including a stethoscope, calipers, tape measurers and the grand prize of an organic treats goody basket.
The conference was a fun (bear) to plan and exciting to execute. I encourage other programs out there to sponsor their own NMPRA regional meeting. The day was well worth all the effort!