"I cannot say enough about how much I love being a resident at UConn Health! UConn Health provides an extremely supportive environment where your education, health, and well-being are the main priority. Here, you are provided with a level of responsibility that allows you to enhance your skills, knowledge, and confidence, while also being supported every step of the way by colleagues at multiple levels. Residents are encouraged to take full ownership of their patients, allowing for us to build the confidence needed to be a strong leader as you move up the ranks. Education of both residents and medical students is a main priority of the program, and helps us as residents to become both strong physicians and strong educators. It was very important to me to find a program where I would get a variety of experiences in a variety of healthcare settings, and UConn Health is a perfect match for this! We are able to see a variety of patient populations and a variety of work flows through spending time at three district sites: Hartford Hospital, UConn Health, and The Hospital of Central Connecticut. In going to the different sites, we learn how to incorporate ourselves into multiple workflows, see multiple levels of care, and have the opportunity to work with many physicians in the area. Living in the Greater Hartford area is also a huge advantage to our program! On my days off, I can easily head to the Cape, hop on a train to New York, or go to dinner in Boston if I am feeling like travelling or I can easily head into West Hartford and catch a movie or go to one of the many great restaurants in Blue Back Square!
The WAHS clinic is an extremely rewarding clinic where you will have the opportunity to meet patients with diverse backgrounds and diverse clinical pictures. All of the faculty and staff are incredibly supportive and dedicated to both your education and to patient care. A big advantage of the clinic is the ability to set patients up with social workers or nutritionist right in the clinic to avoid patients having to make multiple appointments. Another big advantage of the clinic is that the patients from our clinic typically present to Hartford Hospital, where we spend the majority of our time, allowing for continuity of care with patients in the clinic while on call or during the rotation.”
Stephanie Hallisey, Class of 2023
“Although my actual family lives across the country, I now have a second family here in Connecticut. I feel love and support with everyone I work with and I look forward going to work every day. Coming from California, I have really enjoyed living in Connecticut more than I thought I would! It has so much culture, history and awesome geographic opportunities. The fall is also amazing.”
Erin Fee, Class of 2020
“I love the continuity of the care in the UConn program with the ability to experience three different types of hospitals. I knew from the moment I interviewed, this is where I wanted to train. We get great exposure to high risk obstetrics and vast surgical cases. Our antepartum services are very large and we have excellent clinic pathology. Our attendings love to teach and our residents act as a family. We have a great bond and all enjoy coming to work each day! The program draws applicants who are hardworking and grounded with diverse backgrounds. I could not be happier!”
I love the WAHS clinic because it functions as a stand-alone clinic. We have access to everything in the clinic from ultrasounds to colposcopies to lab draws, counseling and nutrition. The attending who work at the clinic are amazing and love to teach! They offer great insight and you will see a vast array of problems. There is some use of the language line and some complicated patients that do not have access to care. You will learn the ins and outs no matter which clinic you pick, so do not stress!”
Kristen Moriarty, Class of 2023
“I really liked that the program was large and that there was a lot of support for people with families or medical issues. I also like how the residents interacted with each other and applicants at the pre-dinner, showing how tight knit of a community they were. I liked that CT is not in a large city where you get overwhelmed, but that you had access to local large cities like Boston and NYC and that there is a decent airport 20 minutes away.”
Iyanna Liles, Class of 2018
“I loved that we got to work in three different hospitals and see how the different groups functioned at each hospital. That experience was incredibly helpful when it came time to apply for jobs. I had seen a variety of practice styles and I knew what sort of practice I wanted to join. Also, the people you work with throughout the program are incredible and really want to help you learn and grow as a physician.”
Stephanie Higgins, Class of 2019
“What do I love about the program: THE PEOPLE! From my co-residents, to attendings, administrative staff, nurses, scrub techs, patient care assistants, everyone is invested in the growth and education of residents. My biggest fear in starting residency was the thought of not liking my work environment. I can testify that I feel that my co-workers are my second family. We value each other’s opinions and input. I am completely comfortable in approaching anyone in my department and asking for help. The area is also a great place to live. Whether you like going on scenic hikes, eating good food, attending festival you will it all in the Hartford area. And the best part of it all is that you will always find someone to go with you.
What do I love about my clinic? My clinic is at THOCC. My PATIENTS ARE THE BEST! When my patients come to see me, they never fail to tell me about their families, pets, and travels. They are excited to share their accomplishments and triumphs. I feel privileged to be able to have such a good relationship with my patients, especially so early into my residency. Dr. Matonis and Dr. Bystry are the clinic attendings and are great teachers/mentors.”
Jackie Fleuriscar, Class of 2023