One of the benefits of having a smaller residency program is that everyone knows everyone well and we are close-knit. The residents are a solid mix of married, single and with families. Even with that diversity, impromptu weeknight and weekend events happen frequently.

Some of the events that groups of residents (and even faculty) have enjoyed together include:

• First Friday (a downtown Canton festival that many of us attend after work)
• Movie and Wing night
• Local 5k runs and Hall of Fame Relay race
• GME bowling
• Girls’ wine night
• Cookouts

We recently started an annual residents' retreat. It included several offsite activities and team-building exercises with the program coordinators and program director.

When people in our program are getting married, we have held surprise wedding showers! When people in our program have babies, we have held surprise baby showers!

Beyond outside events, senior residents have hosted ultrasound/procedure labs for the junior residents. Upper levels often choose to lead physics review sessions prior to the R1 exams. The upper levels frequently give helpful orientations to the R1s for each new rotation block.