Christopher Worsham, MD
Internal Medicine, Boston Medical Center

At Boston Medical Center, CIR has been instrumental in getting our residents involved in quality improvement efforts that improve care for our patients, improve our hospital, and help us adapt to an ever changing healthcare landscape. CIR has been instrumental in giving residents a voice at the hospital, which has helped me and others feel like we are making a difference in our system in addition to providing care for our patients.

Even though we may only be at our teaching hospital for the several years of residency, housestaff can have the potential and the expertise to bring about meaningful change to the healthcare system. I would like to see our union grow even bigger, building relationships that empower housestaff, who are on the front lines of the healthcare system, to bring about the change that we need in how we deliver care.

Residents know many of the ins and outs of heathcare that can easily get lost on more senior physicians and administrators. By learning quality improvement principles, identifying areas for improvement, and collaborating with their hospital administration, residents can take their front-line expertise and bring about meaningful change. In doing so, they help their patients, they foster an educational environment that promotes quality improvement, and they demonstrate that residents are indeed valuable members of the medical community.