A Day in the Life of a PGY-4 Resident – Dr. Virani

Nida Virani, MD
Class of 2024

Howdy! My name is Nida Virani Qureshi, and I’m a current PGY-4 at BMC. This year has a ton of flexibility in terms of how you spend your time. You will continue some of your clinics from years prior with lots of room to include whatever interests you.

I spend half a day at week at my BMC outpatient clinic. The patient panel is not as large as PGY-3 year since your clinic time is cut in half, but it’s great to be able to continue longitudinal care with patients I have spent so much time treating. I spend another half a day a week at the Jamaica Plain VA outpatient Alcohol and Drug Treatment Program clinic. This is another clinic I carry over from PGY-3 year but, again, the panel is not as large.

Apart from these two clinics, the rest of the time is what you make of it! I am on the community psychiatry track, and I opted to have clinic time at Upham’s Community Care during PGY-3 and PGY-4 years. UCC is an FQHC and community health center in Dorchester, a neighborhood just south of BMC. UCC offers a ton of services to its patients, including family medicine, behavioral health, dental care, eye care, pediatrics, and more. They also offer social services, such as housing and financial assistance. I spend two half-days per week at the clinic, one half-day in person and the other is remote. The patients at the clinic have a variety of needs and pathology, including psychosis, mood disorders, and substance use. The age range varies widely as well, making UCC a great learning experience during residency.

The first half of the academic year, I was fortunate enough to spend time at Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center. The Fuller is a forensic inpatient unit under the state’s Department of Mental Health. During the rotation, rather than work solely on the inpatient team, I primarily worked with the medical director of the hospital. I was able to sit in on administrative meetings, learn about the work and responsibilities of a medical director, receive mentorship for my own leadership goals, and still able to maintain some clinical exposure by meeting with the medical director’s patients every week. Additionally, because it is a forensic unit, I was able to learn about the legal policies and procedures involved in patients who have been charged and also carry a mental health diagnosis.

During the second half of the academic year, I am rotating with the neuromodulation team at the Brockton VA. Treatments here include ECT, intranasal ketamine, and ketamine infusions. This is an incredibly unique opportunity our residency program offers. These treatments are effective and provide relief to patients who have been struggling with debilitating depression and other mental health diagnoses for years. I spend 2 full days per week here.

When not at work, I enjoy spending time with my husband and friends, traveling (I visited 9 countries in 2023!), seeing family, and enjoying lazy days at home in front of the TV. BMC has made it so easy to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Of course, there’s still occasional long hours and weekends, but overall, the experience has been so great. Looking forward to graduation and putting all my skills to work!

Written by Dr. Nida Virani in January 2024