Preparing for the Year to Come in New Mexico

CIR Members Gather for the Annual Western Regional Meeting

New Mexico, dubbed “The Land of Enchantment,” was the backdrop for CIR’s Western Regional Meeting on November 8, 2008. CIR doctors from the Northern California, Southern California and New Mexico regions gathered at the Albuqeruque Hotel in Albuqerque for a full-day’s worth of activities, incorporating workshops, presentations, training, planning for the year ahead and, of course, networking and socializing with their fellow members.

Dr. Christopher Landrigan, MD, MPH, the Sleep and Patient Safety Director at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, was on hand to present an evidence-based case for a 16-hour workday. The residents in attendance were impressed by his presentation of the evidence, which strongly argues that the quality of patient care would be greatly improved with better scheduling for physicians.

Also on hand was SEIU-UHW Community Political Coordinator Jim Araby, who gave a talk entitled “What is Strategy?” drawing from his own experiences to give CIR members tips and ideas on how to engage their administration and the larger community while in contract negotiations.

CIR Vice Presidents John Ingle, MD of New Mexico and Rachel Kreps-Falk, MD of Northern California helped prepare members for future contract negotiations, with Dr. Ingle leading a talk entitled “How to Ask” and Dr. Kreps-Falks portraying an unforgettable “Madame CEO” during role-playing on the collective bargaining process.

As always, CIR members left the event impressed by the workshops and discussions and thankful for the opportunity to share their challenges and ideas with members from other hospitals.

“Speaking with other physicians-in-training taught me that we share many of the same challenges and goals, especially with respect to patient care and safety,” said Dr. Daniel Greniger, a PGY2 in Internal Medicine at Santa Clara Valley Hospital. “I think the lessons learned from other CIR doctors will be useful when trying to advocate for changes in our next contract that can lead to better patient care.”