Consistent with our mission, Tulane residents are about exponentially changing the world and being the voice for those who have had that voice taken from them. “Doctors are the natural advocates of the poor, and social problems are largely within their jurisdiction.” Virchow said it; we believe it. And Tulane’s Internal Medicine Team is doing something about it.
It’s hard to believe that there is any program out there that would come right out and say “we don’t want to care for the poor.” If they do, well, that’s moral bankruptcy, and you should run away as fast as you can. So everyone says they care for the poor, but it is one thing to tolerate indigent health care, its entirely a different thing to embrace it as your mission. Such is the Tulane heritage, going back to its partnership with Charity Hospital since 1834, and continuing today.
Ins and Outs:
If you see social advocacy as part of your calling, and you want to develop that part of your soul during your time of training, then you will find no training program that will support you in this effort like the Tulane Team. Having a team of like-minded people around you is critical. The reality is that no physician is strong enough to carry the burden of society’s problems alone without occasionally stumbling. If you are at a training program where you are alone in your beliefs regarding the importance of social advocacy, then one of two things will happen: either you will become depressed and demoralized, or you will become calloused and defensive. Either way, your dream of being the social advocate will be squashed out of you.
At Tulane you can expect a different future. When the day comes that you get knocked to your knees by society’s problems, we promise, there will be a team of like-minded people there to pick you up and give you the encouragement you need. This is a marathon, not a sprint. And the day will belong to those who keep playing.
So, if you want to take a step further in making this your career aspiration, then the Tulane Advocacy Track is for you. The track is reserved for those residents who wish to get an early start at establishing a career in Advocacy. Two residents are selected per year to be a part of the advocacy track. In the first year of the track, you will receive extensive training in the skills/knowledge you will need to make the most of your advocacy rotations. The second and third year’s allow for rotational experiences at the local, state and national level, where you will work with Tulane faculty in on-going research projects at the destination. Much more than becoming the “medical politician,” this enables you to participate in exponential solutions to disparities in healthcare, preparing you for an academic career where you can further those contributions.
