Residency: the rite of passage every doctor must survive before practicing on their own. But is the system built to train (or to break) young physicians?

In this episode of Unstable Vitals, Dr. Laura Zibners and Dr. Adam Brown sit down with Dr. Jared Dashevsky, a resident physician at Mount Sinai and founder of Healthcare Huddle, to unpack the realities of residency and what it reveals about the larger instability in U.S. healthcare.

From 80-hour work weeks and six-figure medical school debt to the high-stakes “Match” process and the infamous July 1st turnover, we dive into the pressures that shape doctors before they even become attendings. Jared shares his perspective as a third-year resident, new father, and healthcare communicator, offering an unfiltered look at the sacrifices, frustrations, and occasional absurdities of residency life.

Along the way, we ask:

• Is the residency system outdated?
• How do pay disparities and debt burden destabilize medicine?
• What changes could make training more sustainable for doctors and the patients they serve?

Whether you’re in medicine, thinking about it, or just want to understand what’s behind the curtain, this conversation exposes the cracks in the system and why they matter for all of us.