Valeria Saldana, PGY-3

Hi! I’m Valeria. I was born and raised in Miami, FL, the best city in the world. I’m first-generation American and my family is originally from Nicaragua. I’m the youngest of four and most of my family still resides in Miami. I moved to Atlanta with my partner, and we adopted our first puppy during my intern year of residency. In my spare time, I enjoy taking long walks on the beltline with my pup, dabbling in film photography, hot yoga/pilates and binge-watching trash TV.  

I went to undergrad at Florida International University and then took three gap years before medical school. In those gap years, I did research with mosquitoes, scribed in a busy urgent care, volunteered and did clinical research in oncology at our local children’s hospital. Then, I went to medical school at the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine. The transition from Miami to Connecticut was rough to say the least, I don’t miss the real winters at ALL! However, leaving home really helped me grow and mature. I was one of the few Latino students in our school, thus I highly depended on the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) for community and support. Some of our rotations were in densely underserved locations, which reinforced my desire to work in a safety net hospital. During my psychiatry rotation, I noted the huge gap in mental health services, especially in minoritized populations, and really enjoyed taking a whole person and patient centered approach during assessments. I kept an open mind throughout my third year, however, no other rotation compared to psychiatry, and I never looked back!

When applying to residency, I prioritized several things: I wanted to be in a big city, work in a safety net hospital with underserved communities, attend a diverse program with diverse clinical sites, work in an academic setting with fellowship ties in case I wanted to pursue fellowship and attend a program I felt I would be supported in. Emory was my last interview of the season, and it really checked all these boxes for me AND more. During my interview and among speaking with residents, I felt like the culture was warm and inviting, diverse and I heard about how supportive the PDs are. While our training is rigorous, it seemed like residents still had time to hang out and enjoy Atlanta. Bonus points was that I would be close to home in Miami. Now as a PGY-3, I can confidently say Emory has met all my expectations and more.

The beauty of third year in most psychiatry residencies is that you’ve now transitioned to various outpatient clinics with elective time.

Mondays

• 8 am – 5 pm: I have my own patient panel at the VA in one of the general mental health clinics. I see all my patients independently and then staff with an attending at the end of the day. I’ve really gotten a taste of outpatient life and autonomy.

Tuesdays

• 7:45 – 8:15 am: Geriatric psychiatry topic review, where residents, students and other staff members present a learning point.
• 8:30 am – 12 pm: I see patients in our geriatric psychiatry clinic. Typically, I see them first and then staff with an attending who will also see them. I have a diverse case of patients with primary psychiatric illnesses and cognitive or neurological illnesses such as dementia.
• 1 pm – 4:30 pm: during our third year, we all have an afternoon of child outpatient clinic. We see these patients with their parents and our attendings. Typical cases include ADHD, anxiety and depression.

Wednesdays

• 8 am – 3 pm: we have our weekly didactics! In our third year, it’s a combination of psychopharm lectures, CBT and psychodynamic seminars, grand rounds and a humanities course.

Thursdays

• 8 am – 12 pm: I’m currently doing an elective at the VA psychiatric ER. I really enjoy seeing acute patients, and it feels like a junior attending role.
• 12 pm – 4 pm: I have CBT psychotherapy supervision and see one of my psychotherapy patients virtually.

Fridays

• 8 am – 12 pm: I have another half day for psychotherapy, so I typically see one patient in the morning, attend psychodynamic psychotherapy supervision and then attend my own therapy virtually.
• 12 pm – 4 pm: I’m currently one of the Community and Engagement chiefs, so we have protected time to coordinate events with the residency class, attend chief meetings and advocate for our fellow residents.

My partner and I bought our first condo in Inman Park! It’s a lively neighborhood with many shops and restaurants surrounding the area. We are also right next to the beltline. My commute to all clinical sites is negligible, and I love living in this area! During my intern year, I lived in Old Forth Ward which is close to the beltline and Ponce City Market. I really loved living in that area as well and it’s highly desired by residents from all specialties since it’s so close to Grady.

I love taking long walks on the beltline and exploring all the shops, restaurants and bars. Atlanta also has many farmers markets in different neighborhoods, so I usually try a new one on the weekends. Most artists on tour make a stop in ATL, so it’s nice to have accessibility to many different concerts. I also have enjoyed Atlanta’s proximity to other cities, and have visited Rosemary Beach in FL, Savannah, Charleston and most recently did a trip to the Blue Ridge mountains.

Congratulations!!! You’ve worked so hard throughout your medical school years and should be so proud! Remember, you are the prize and have a say in where you’ll complete residency. It’s important to prioritize your values and what is important to YOU and not compare yourself to others. Some of your priorities may change throughout the process, and that is ok too! Show up to your interviews prepared and as your authentic self, and I truly think you’ll end up where you are supposed to. Lastly, do your research! Talk to as many residents as you can, visit the city/program if possible and attend second looks if the program is offering them. Good luck and remember to enjoy the fruits of your labor!