District of Columbia Resident Physicians Organize

Resident physicians at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. are about to unionize, citing burnout due to the pandemic.

Residents working at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences are seeking membership in the Committee of Interns and Residents, a local member of the International Union of Service Workers.

They announced their intention to form a union on 1 March.

“We are dedicated to our patients and will always do our best to provide the best possible care. But at the same time, we do our best to take care of our daily needs,” Marissa Miller, MD, first-year internal medicine resident at George Washington, said in a statement. “We have come together to have a voice in our working conditions and be able to provide the best possible care for our patients without unmanageable added stress and financial burden.”

Resident physicians say they are struggling financially due to rising inflation and stagnant wages and hope to address this, as well as other issues such as workload and burnout.

If unionization occurs, between 450 and 500 resident doctors are likely to be given the right to bargain collectively. Washington Post.

A university spokeswoman shared with the newspaper a letter that Barbara Bass, MD, dean of the medical school, sent to residents praising their work and thanking them for their “contribution to the health and well-being of the patients you serve.”

Dr. Bass said the university will follow the processes of the National Labor Relations Board, including by secret ballot, and said that union representation depends on each individual resident. Mail.

Separately, George Washington University nurses also launched a unionization campaign.