Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Oncology Surgeon Robert Osteen, MD, remembers the day he walked into the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital as a surgical resident and was no longer responsible for EKGs, drawing blood or mixing IV fluids, as he had been at the previous facility where he spent two years.
“It felt like I’d just gotten to heaven,” he recalled. “A lot has changed since the 1960s in method and training for surgeons. But the end product of surgery hasn’t changed. We all want what is best for our patients.”
Osteen and Stan Ashley, MD, vice chair of Surgery, were the speakers during last month’s Archive Lecture Series: “BWH Historical Perspective Surgical Training and Education.” The two reflected on the differences between surgical residents’ lives then and now.
Ashley recalled that residents previously were required to be on-call every other day, and Osteen spoke of the days when Grand Rounds were held every Saturday morning to discuss countless topics.
The lecture was moderated by Nicholas Tilney, MD, who discussed surgery before credentialing and standards of training.