Jack Koueik, MD (PGY-3)

Orchestrating moving to the US and joining AFCH in the middle of the pandemic was not without anxiety and some sleepless nights, especially as I had no previous medical training in the US. When my training was delayed initially, I was immediately connected with faculty members of the Global Health and PUBLISH tracks that I had expressed interest in joining. I was surprised at how encouraging faculty members are and how easy it was to connect with mentors and start working on projects. Senior residents and co-residents were just as supportive in accelerating my practical adaptation to navigating the system and EMR, which at first seemed daunting. Feedback was readily accepted with change to educational curricula incorporated to enhance resident training and educational experience, especially for IMGs.As I move forward in my training, I can appreciate the trust and autonomy that increase with every year as residents have a greater scope of responsibility with every year as we train to become independent pediatricians ready to take on the next step in our careers.