Every year, medical residents face increasing levels of stress and burnout. The demanding nature of the job coupled with the pressure to succeed, crippling debt and inadequate pay can be overwhelming. According to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Mayo Clinic, medical students and residents have higher rates of depression and burnout than other adults and a high risk of suicide.
In 2021, I worked at the height of the pandemic in the ICU of one of Miami’s level 1 trauma centers. This rotation was supposed to be a month long, but they removed us in the second week because of the toll of losing so many patients. The experience was detrimental to my personal relationships and mental health. I was ready to quit. Fortunately, with therapy, a lot of prayer and support from my emotional service animal, I persevered and kept pursuing my dream to become a doctor.
The following year, I was faced with another unexpected challenge. I was on the brink of homelessness due to the skyrocketing rents and the unaffordability of living in Miami-Dade County.
When I moved here to fulfill my medical residency, I found a one-bedroom apartment in Overtown for $2,050, six minutes from the hospital where I was working — a crucial quick commute for young doctors working grueling shifts.
In March 2022, I was informed my rent would increase by more than 30% in three months. As medical residents, our hourly wage averages about $13 an hour when you consider we spend 80+ hours a week caring for patients, and we do not get paid overtime.
I could not afford 70% of my paycheck for rent. I tried to negotiate with the landlord but was turned down. I was being displaced. I began looking into efficiencies and studios and considered moving in with friends but continued to run into unaffordable rents or restrictions against pets.
A week before my lease ended, I learned about a house for rent in Hollywood for $1,000 a month that allowed pets. My commute would be an hour during rush hour but I was desperate. I had to move the current tenant out while moving myself in, all while working in the pediatric ICU. I was drained, stressed and fatigued, and got into a car accident on the way to work. That’s when I realized I needed to speak up.
The affordability crisis in Miami is not just affecting me. One of my co-residents just bought a house and has been wracked with stress over the cost of the mortgage, groceries and gas. Another co-resident lived in their car for two weeks, draining their savings at Airbnbs while looking for a place to live. Another resident spent months living in the spare room of another resident’s home.
Focus on saving lives
As doctors, our primary focus should be treating patients and saving lives, but our financial situation weighs heavily on our minds. We do not have money for emergencies. Within the last year, I needed financial assistance from my family twice to avoid homelessness. The affordability crisis is often seen as impacting low-income individuals and families. Many fail to realize that training doctors are part of that vulnerable population and we’re being neglected.
In Florida and around the country, communities have justified the need for housing stipends for various professions. Yet Miami — rated the least affordable housing market in the country — has not provided any type of emergency relief for medical residents.
Politicians keep proposing mid-to-long term housing solutions but we need help now: an emergency housing stipend of $10,000 for current medical residents to help with housing and the 7% inflation rate in Miami. There are more than 1,200 medical residents in Miami like me who have received just a 3% increase in pay over the past year. Housing and inflation subsidies for medical residents need to be considered annually.
We are the future healthcare leaders in our county, and we need to be able to live in the communities we serve. We should not have to endure months of discussion and take drastic workplace action to garner support. Medical residents in Miami-Dade County are proud to serve and support our community. But we’re struggling with housing and financial insecurity and calling on our leaders for help.
I have eight months left in my current housing situation before I potentially begin the search for yet another place to live. I hope I can depend on our leaders to make the next transition easier for me and my fellow residents.
Dr. Onome Oboh is a second-year internal medicine and pediatrics combined resident at one of Miami’s level 1 trauma centers. She serves on the leadership and housing committees for the Committee of Interns and Residents, SEIU Florida.