Introducing: "The Workroom" by LFN
We are thrilled to announce the launch of a brand new initiative, called The Workroom. See below for more information, including details on how to join!
What is "The Workroom"?
The Workroom is an online community for trainees, including residents and fellows in select programs (see "EligibilitY" below) across the United States.
Our goal is to re-create the physical fellows' workroom -- which is traditionally a safe space for trainees to learn from and develop relationships with their peers -- in a digital format using the web application Slack.
Eligibility to join: you must be a trainee in the United States meeting one of the below criteria:
- Current resident in Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Surgery, or Pathology
- Current fellow in Gastroenterology and Hepatology or Transplant Hepatology
How do I join The Workroom?
How to join: if you are interested, please fill out the following short, 3-5 minute survey: https://forms.gle/yuhpuqoN5dcjHTTs9
After we receive your survey response, we will verify your status as a current resident or fellow and send you a link to sign-up.
What is Slack and how do I get it?
Slack is an online collaboration hub that is typically used as a workplace communication tool, to serve as "a single place for messaging, tools, and files." It is an instant messaging system with the ability to "add-in" other tools used to collaborate in a team environment (Zoom, Doodle, Google Suite tools, etc).
Communicating within Slack: once you download the application, you can communicate with others in one of two ways:
- Channels: these are groups with specified topics (i.e., Clinical Cases, Research, Job Search, etc) where you can communicate with all of the people in the group
- Direct messaging: you can send a DM to any individual in the community to have a one-on-one conversation
How to download Slack:
- Phone Access
Slack for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Slack
Slack for iOS/Apple: https://apps.apple.com/app/slack-app/id618783545?ls=1 - Computer Access
Slack for Windows: https://slack.com/help/articles/209038037-Download-Slack-for-Windows
Slack for Mac: https://slack.com/help/articles/207677868-Download-Slack-for-Mac
What can you gain from The Workroom?
With The Workroom, we hope to change the face of medical education in a way that has never been done before. By breaking through traditional geographic boundaries and the physical constrains of your hospital setting, we hope to give you the opportunity to create an expansive network of peers from whom you can learn and grow as you embark upon your career as a hepatologist.
Here is just a small list of what we hope you gain from joining the Workroom:
- Enhance your medical knowledge by hearing about challenging cases from peers at other institutions
- Expand your network of other residents or GI/hepatology fellows across the country
- Create research collaborations across institutions and bounce ideas off your peers
- Gain advice about advanced fellowship applications (e.g., for transplant hepatology) and specific details about programs
- Ask for advice about job applications by learning from the experience of senior fellows
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out by e-mail at liverfellownetwork@gmail.com or on Twitter @liverfellow.