Closing the Year with Intention: Gratitude, Pause, and What Comes Next
As the year winds downs, hospitals don’t suddenly become quiet.
Residents still round. Fellow still take call.
Programs still move forward recruiting, reviewing, adjusting.
The work of medical education rarely fits neatly into a calendar year.
And yet, this season offers something we often struggle to make space for the rest of the year:
A moment to pause, to reflect on what we’ve built, what we’ve learned, and how we want to move forward.
This will be my final post of the year before I step back for a short break and return in January 2026. Before I do, I want to take a moment to say thank you, and to name a few themes that have emerged in this space over the past months.
What We’ve Been Exploring Together
This year, we’ve spent time with some of the quieter, often overlooked parts of medical education. The things that live in workflows, dashboards, schedules, and unstated expectations.
The hidden curriculum of administrative processes and what our systems teach without saying a word.
The quiet work of accreditation, and how tools like the Annual Institutional Review can either become checkboxes or mirrors.
The role of social accountability and what it means for institutions to hold themselves to a standard that goes beyond compliance.
Underneath all of these topics has been a recurring question:
What do our systems says about what and who we value?
My hope is that each piece as offered you not just ideas, but language you can use in your own conversations, leadership roles, and decision-making.
Gratitude for the People Doing the Work
As I look back on this year, I’m especially grateful for:
Residents and fellows who are navigating in complex systems while still showing up for patients, colleagues, and each other.
Program directors, faculty, and coordinators who carry the often invisible labor of education, advocacy, and day-to-day problem solving.
GME, UME, and institutional leaders who are willing to look honestly at their environments and ask, “Is this aligned with what we say we stand for?”
And those of you who quietly read, reflect, and share these posts in your own circles; you’re part of the work of shifting culture.
If you’ve taken time out of your already full days to read, forward, or discuss anything I’ve written here, please know: I don’t take that lightly.
Given Ourselves Permission to Pause
In medicine and medical education, the push to “keep going” is constant. There’s always another rotation, another cycle, another review, another project.
So I’m choosing to model something I often encourage others to do:
A purposeful pause.
After this post goes live. I’ll be stepping back from publishing for the remainder of the year to:
reflect on where this space is headed,
listen for what feels more needed in 2026,
and, importantly, rest - so I can return with clarity and intention.
I hope you’re able, in your own way, to carve out moments of rest and reflection this season too, even if they’re brief or imperfect.
Looking Ahead to 2026
When we meet again in January, I plan to continue exploring the themes that sit at the intersection of::
Systems and humanity
Accreditation and integrity
Leadership and lived experience
Education and equity
I’ll also be leaning further into practical questions, such as:
How can we design administrative processes that reflect our stated values?
What does meaningful resident and fellow engagement look like beyond surveys?
How do we build cultures where feedback is truth, not threat?
If there are topics you’d like to see covered, questions you’re wrestling with in your own institution; feel free to hold them in mind for the new year. This space is meant to be a conversation, not a monologue.
A Closing Wish
Whether you are reading this between cases, after a long call, during a rare quiet moment, or on a day off, my wish for you is simple:
That you feel seen in the complexity of the work you do.
That you can identify at least one thing you are proud of from this year.
And that you can find a small pocket or rest and grace as we close out 2025.
Thank you for being here, for your attention, your work, and your commitment to shaping learning environments that are worthy of the people in them.
I look forward to being back in your inbox in January 2026.
Until then:
Wishing you a restful, gentle, and meaningful end to the year.
-Sophia