This past week the Buffalo Union of American Physicians & Dentists, representing 831 resident physicians who work in University at Buffalo-affiliated hospitals, executed a four-day strike to protest the failure of University Medical Resident Services (UMRS), the private corporation that employs the residents, to provide a fair contract.
Whether or not to actively participate in the strike was a difficult and personal decision for many residents. Stepping away from patient care is painfully incongruent with our ingrained instinct to care for patients regardless of the personal cost.