How We Live

Wellness

The Department’s residents’ wellness committee gives continuous feedback to improve our wellness curriculum. It includes team activities, process groups and wellness educational didactics. Based on resident feedback, we recently introduced Balint groups in which residents discuss emotions triggered by an encounter with a client and reflect on its meanings to the client, resident provider, attending and the staff team. One of the most popular yearly activities is the resident retreat. This is a great opportunity for residents to visit popular places in New Mexico such as the immersive artistic experience at Meow Wolf !

Benefit Highlights

Benefit Highlights 2019 2020 
House Officer Benefit and Regulation Manual 2019 

A day in the life

PGY-1:

“Beep, beep, BEEP, it’s 7 am on a Friday. Time to leave my place to head to the hospital. I park at the resident parking garage. Walk up the staircase and head inside the hospital with earl grey tea in hand. I head to the scrub machine to trade my previously worn scrubs for clean, pressed scrubs.” Read More!
-Ellie Richardson, MD, PGY-1

“My first two months of psychiatry during residency were at the VA Medical Center in the VA inpatient psychiatry unit. My work day would start around 7:30 AM with me pre-rounding on my 4-6 patients.” Read more! 
-Alexander R. Norton, MD, PGY-1

PGY-2:

“I am currently finishing up my second year elective, which has been a very special month for me. As a second year, you have the opportunity to spend four weeks in an area of psychiatry that you are either curious about or are considering specializing in.” Read more! 
-Marquette Rose, MD, PGY-2

PGY-3:

"The third year of training in our program is a significant transition: After two years of predominately inpatient work, we find ourselves managing patients across multiple outpatient settings for the entirety of the year. While the majority of these patients are new, some I recognized after treating them on the units during my first years as a resident.” Read more! 
-Travis Campbell, MD, PGY-3

PGY-4:

“The PGY-4 experience at UNM is similar to many other programs in that it is very flexible and open to tailoring to suit each resident’s learning goals. Unlike some other programs, there is a robust number of experiences with exceptional faculty who residents can rotate with.” Read more! 
-David C. Earl II, MD, PharmD. PGY-4

Recreation and Leisure:

New Mexico offers amazing opportunities for recreation and leisure. From hiking and camping, to a lively music scene, and affordable as well as fine dining opportunities. We know how to have fun and you will enjoy living here!

Outdoor Activities

" Although one could easily get lost in the history, food and culture of New Mexico, its natural beauty and outdoor access also deserve mention. New Mexico encompasses a vast array of geographic diversity, from the rugged mountains and valleys of the Colorado Plateau in the North to the gently sloping edge of the Great Plains in the East.” Read more! 
-Travis Campbell, MD, now PGY-4

“Our apartment complex (Altezza/Northeast Heights), is a fantastic place to live: super-reasonable price, 2 outdoor pools, a nice gym, walking trails in the Sandia foothills (Michael Emery, etc.), protected biking trail along Tramway, gorgeous views of the city and mountains, many UNM neighbors, and just a 30-minute-podcast-commute time to UNM or the VA. If you’re a fan of hot springs like I am, then you’ve got: Jemez, Ojo Caliente, 10k Waves, Pagosa Springs, Truth or Consequences.”
-Lisa Hake, MD, PGY-4

Family Fun

“When we first arrived in Albuquerque my children were four-years-old and two-years-old, and since that time I have been amazed at all of the family activities that are located in and around Albuquerque. It would be impossible to do justice to these locations in such a short time but let me add some of the highlights.” Read more! 
-Corey Barger, MD PGY-4

Food & Drink

“The iconic food that comes to mind for NM is probably green chile. While the tantalizing scent of roasting green chile, a local staple added to everything from pizza to burgers, will make any mouth water there is a wide variety of local food options to choose from.” Read more! 
-Kelly Harrington, MD PGY-4

Arts, Music, Culture

“New Mexico has a unique culture and there is so much to do here. Santa Fe and Taos are renowned for their many art museums and galleries, there are also lots of local artists and open air markets.” Read more!
-Pamela Arenella, MD Residency Director