katiemkrueger

Today I finished my last shift of residency.

It’s hard to put into words what these last few years have meant to me. Residency pushed me further than I ever imagined—physically, mentally, and emotionally. It brought moments of exhaustion, heartbreak, and self-doubt, but also moments of immense joy, purpose, and pride. It challenged me in ways I never expected, humbled me every single day, and shaped not only the physician I have become, but the person I am.

The greatest gift residency gave me wasn’t just the training—it was the people. My co-interns very quickly became family. They became the people who could turn the hardest shift into something bearable. The ones I’d laugh with, vent to, learn from, and lean on when I needed it most.

To the nurses, techs, pharmacists, paramedics, consultants, and every member of our emergency department—you made this place so much more than somewhere I came to work. You became mentors, teammates, and friends.

To my attendings, thank you for seeing potential in me long before I saw it in myself. You challenged me, trusted me with increasing responsibility, pushed me to think differently, and helped transform me from a nervous intern who was afraid to walk in the trauma bay into the physician I am today. Each of you left your own mark on the way I practice medicine, and I’ll carry those lessons—and pieces of each of you—with me throughout my career.

The greatest lessons of residency came from the people who never knew they were teaching me- the patients. Thank you for trusting me, teaching me, and allowing me to be there during some of life’s most vulnerable moments. You taught me more than any textbook ever could.

Leaving is bittersweet. While I’m excited for this next chapter, there will forever be a piece of my heart with this program, these people, and this place.

To my residency family—thank you for becoming home. I love you all more than words can say. ❤️