Name: Prasanth Ravipati, M.D.
Medical school you attended/year you graduated: American University of the Caribbean, 2014
Residency/fellowship at UNMC: Internal Medicine
Program director: Dr. James O’Dell
How long is your training program and how long have you been at UNMC:
Internal Medicine is a three-year training program, which I completed this spring. Currently, I am serving as UNMC chief resident. This will be my fourth year at UNMC.
What do you like the most about your training program?
Where to begin! I like the fact that residents get a well-rounded education in internal medicine and in the subspecialties. I also like the fact that there are incredibly difficult months that really push you as a physician, and there are months that allow residents to develop clinic skills and spend time with their families. I think there is a good variety of teaching and clinical styles of the attending physicians that allow the residents to observe and then develop their own.
UNMC Internal Medicine prepares residents so that when they graduate they are equipped to make the difficult decisions that practicing physicians make every day. Lastly, every day at work residents, administrators, and faculty are laughing and smiling while working hard. It is a very positive place to work.
What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future:
There are many challenges ahead with ever changing governmental policies, health care costs, and governance of resident training. A major challenge is educating trainees to be prepared to practice in the world of non-academic medicine. Residents often feel unprepared when it comes to knowing what it takes to start a practice, join a hospital group, or understanding the way policies in Washington will affect us after we graduate.
Another major challenge is achieving the appropriate balance of education and clinical work. With increasing patient volumes, it sometimes feels like there is less time to get to the literature and learn more about the diseases we are treating. However, learning to safely manage a large volume of patients is an invaluable skill.
List some accomplishments that you are proud of:
By far the accomplishment I am most proud of was being chosen to be the UNMC chief resident. Having the opportunity to work with the internal medicine residents and faculty in this role has made this the best year yet.
I was presented with the Senior Resident Award at my UNMC residency graduation last spring. It meant a lot because my family was able to attend the graduation ceremony.
I was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society as a house officer in 2016. I was truly humbled and honored to be nominated by my program director, Dr. O’Dell.
My friend and co-resident Dan Almquist named his daughter's middle name after me. I was very proud of this until I learned that it was a joke.
Tell us three things about you that others may not know:
Though my cooking is nothing compared to my mom's, I really enjoy making Indian food. It helps me relax after a stressful week at work.
I played college tennis at Oxford College of Emory University in Atlanta. I enjoy playing with UNMC residents whenever able.
During residency my friend and co-resident Tyler Brinkman taught me how to play golf. Nothing beats a sunny day on the golf course, especially when the wind is going my way.