Jordan Haarsma, MD (PGY-1)

“I remember on the interview trail last year struggling to figure out what programs were really about over Zoom - which program would truly be a positive, collaborative and supportive environment? Well, I can say definitively at this point of intern year that Matching with UW was a fantastic outcome! It is exactly as advertised: a place filled with grounded, smart, warm, and amazing people all dedicated to helping kids. This isn't just an abstraction - my wife will be having our first child this winter and the program was immediately responsive with helping to plan for my parental leave. It goes to how the program supports a sense of real wellness that goes beyond peripheral positivity. They have put enormous work into creating workflows that allow us to deliver care to our patients efficiently without losing quality, the type of gain that allows me to spend invaluable time on service learning rather than doing busywork. Not only is the program amazing, living in Madison is phenomenal! I lived in the Bay Area in California for over a decade and did my medical school in Iowa, and Madison is the best of all worlds. You get the food, culture, and atmosphere of the best cities (with unrivaled bike-friendliness - imagine riding to work on paved, dedicated bike trails through the trees without a car anywhere around) as well as that classic Midwest friendliness. It's simply an easy place to be happy during one of the most rigorous times of your life.”