Deep in the heart of Portalnd winters, the residents of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center run for the hills. The entire program closes down for a day and a half as residents and their families come together for mid-winter rest and recreation.
This year, most residents spent the day at Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort with tickets, rentals and lessons provided by the residency program; others chose simply to play in the snow or even read and sleep at the resort. While this was the first time at least one of the residents had tried skiing, others demonstrated superb skills and an intimate knowledge of the terrain.
In the evening, residents and their families enjoyed a catered meal at Cooper Spur Mountain Resort, followed by games, hot tubs and a generally relaxed atmosphere. After a restful night in cabins and hotel rooms along with a catered breakfast the next day, hospital duties resumed as always.
Previous retreats have included stays at McMenamin's Edgefield in Portland, the Flying M Ranch, Silver Falls Lodge and at Cannon Beach. By unanimous consent, we will be returning to the wintery mountains again in 2010.
Aug. 24-25, 2007: Team Runorrhea
Providence St. Vincent Internal Medicine Residency Program’s Team “Runorrhea” completed their fifth consecutive Hood To Coast Relay this summer. The Hood To Coast Relay stretches 197 miles from the top of Oregon's majestic Mt. Hood down to the beautiful Pacific Ocean in Seaside, Oregon. Here’s the team at the finish line in Seaside. Team "Runorrhea" included residents, faculty, attendings, spouses and friends including Quinn Emerson, Nick Barber, Emily Hitchcock, Jim Biemer, Alex Schafir, Cindy Chan and Jason DeVille.
August 2007: Exchange Student from Uganda
Arthur Kigozi, a fifth-year medical student from Mbarara University in Uganda, recently visited Providence St. Vincent Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency program for 10 weeks.
During his stay, Arthur learned a lot about American medicine, but perhaps even more about American culture. “Eh! Everything is so big! And very organized,” was Arthur's assessment when he shared some of his cultural reflections at a morning report. “It is very good,” he added, “But Americans don't greet. In Uganda, the people are very friendly. They will ask you 'How are your children? How was the night? How is your crop doing?' In America, people are down to business.”
It's not all work and no play in America, however. Arthur quickly made friends in Portland. He enjoyed bumper cars and bravely sampled the roller coaster at the Oaks Park Annual Barbecue. He tried windsurfing and “super-soaked” his buddies on a white water rafting trip down the Deschutes – quite impressive for someone who doesn't swim!
Arthur gave two talks to the residents: one on malaria and one on tuberculosis. He participated in ICU rounds, visited the cardiac catheterization lab and learned how to search PubMed more effectively by meeting regularly with Ann Vonsegen at the PSVMC Library.
In addition, Arthur worked with Bruce Bayley, Ph.D., CORE director, to develop a proposal for using the Popular Education model for training community health workers and promoters. He hopes to implement lasting change in the health care system in Uganda.
July 14, 2007: White Water Rafting
Second-year resident Jay Ham and his sister, Chelsey, grew up white-water rafting Northwest rivers. They invited the PSVMC residents for a float down the Deschutes River in central Oregon, complete with Class III and IV rapids, super-soakers and plenty of soda. Intern Katarine Egressy and third-year resident Franco Paz braved the rapids in the inflatable kayak (left). Second-year resident Sarah Schultz and partner, Amy, relax near the swimmer’s rapids (right).
July 7, 2007: Oaks Park Annual Barbecue
Every year, Providence St. Vincent Internal Medicine Residency program invites residents, faculty and staff to a family-friendly barbecue at Oaks Park. Sarah Rahkola, third-year resident, relaxes with her family (left). Third year resident Tim Hill gives the bumper cars a double thumb’s up (right).
