Contextualizing the Resurgence of U.S. Housestaff Union Activity

Bibliographic Data

ID21614668
AuthorsGrant L Lin (0000-0001-6888-2140, G.L. Lin is a child neurology resident, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, corresponding author), Kelsey C Priest (0000-0003-3929-8177, K.C. Priest is a psychiatry resident, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California ; [email protected]), Philip H Sossenheimer (0000-0001-6962-7539, P.H. Sossenheimer is a palliative medicine fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California ; [email protected]), Ria Pal (0000-0003-4330-9393, R. Pal is a neurology fellow, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California ; [email protected], corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume99
Issue10
Pages1054-1059
Publication date2024-10-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAcademic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1040-2446 • E-ISSN: 1938-808X
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/acm.0000000000005816
PMID39018433
OpenAlexW4400725095
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited51

There is a growing trend of resident and fellow physician unionization in the United States, with 14 new housestaff unions formed at private employers since 2022. This resurgence of housestaff union organizing parallels the last era of housestaff activism in the 1960s. Today’s housestaff organizing takes place within the context of long-standing challenges in medicine, including the burnout and systemic inequities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and an increase in national activism and labor organizing. Housestaff unions offer opportunities for residents and fellows to negotiate for improvements across multiple issues. In this Commentary, the authors focus on common bargaining topics: poor working conditions, undercompensation, and inadequate representation in an increasingly corporatized health care landscape. The authors also discuss the role of collective bargaining for improving the housestaff experience and address common concerns about unionization. Finally, the authors explore the limited evidence of the impact of unions in health care settings and outline key considerations for future scholarship. The current generation of housestaff started their medical careers with an awareness of systemic challenges to the profession and has responded through collective organizing. While the short- and long-term ramifications of housestaff organizing need further study, the authors express optimism that unionization will lead to improved working conditions and thus improved health care delivery

Medical education · Political science · Labor Movements and Unions · Medicine · Psychology

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