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A Day in the Life of Stanley Guillaume, MD

Stanley Guillaume, MD, MPH, is a Resident Physician in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University/Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Check out a typical day for Dr. Guillaume during his PGY-2 training year, and the following Q&A.

Follow a Typical Day

Read a Q&A with Stanley

Why did you decide to pursue your residency in PM&R?

My decision stems from medical and public health origins. My family is from Haiti. After observing the impact of injury and disease on my family’s and others’ quality of life following the 2010 earthquake, I wanted to focus my service and research on both injury prevention and restoration of function. As a physician, I want to treat the ailments impeding my patients’ lives, but as a physiatrist, I want to provide my patients with the tools to address their impairments and help put their lives back together.

What led you to choose Shirley Ryan AbilityLab for your residency program?

This program provides access to resources that not many other programs provide. In Chicago, there is access to a diverse population of patients. The complexity of patients here will strengthen my knowledge of PM&R, as well as each of its subspecialties, including Cancer rehabilitation, Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury and Amputee rehabilitation. This residency also offers a global health track with Northwestern that I am extremely interested in, especially given what I want to pursue in the future. When I came for my interview, the support here just seemed so impressive.

What are your current subspecialty interests within PM&R and what are your future plans for post-residency?

After my residency, I’m interested in doing either a sports or pain fellowship. I’ve enjoyed experiences in sports coverage and different procedural rotations. I can see myself working in outpatient clinics, likely musculoskeletal, but I would like to do more than just clinical work. Ideally, I would like to use what I’ve gained from my public health experience and work in policy and administration for injury prevention, both locally and globally.

How do you fit wellness into your busy life?

It can be tough! I try to schedule 1-2 hours for wellness at least three times during the week. I need this time when I can enjoy some headspace outside of the hospital. Wellness to me includes working out, spending time with my friends and staying involved with my hobbies (e.g. archery, video games, interactive sports, etc.). Since medical school, I have maintained one major personal rule that I never break: no academic or hospital work on Fridays after work. This way at least I have a consistent time every week when I force myself to take time for myself.

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