Budget cuts really? REALLY?!?!

This month is graduation for the residents who have completed their program. It is also the time where we welcome the new residents into the program. This means fancy dinners/receptions, fun hello/goodbye brunches, and much more casual BBQ's.

For the first time ever the department made an announcement that only the children of the graduating residents are welcome to ANY of the programs. My first thought was that they wanted to make the shin digs more adult oriented...which is fine. Then I find out upon further clarification that infants (aka lap children that don't eat) are fine just no kids that would require a meal. The reason you ask? Budget cuts.

REALLY?

My kids eat so little that they could literally eat off my plate and be perfectly fine. I am a little dumbfounded by this announcement and don't know what to think. Let me point out that out of 16 residents (including the new incoming ones but not the graduates) only 2 have children that are not infants and we are one of them. Only three others have babies. Bret pointed out that last year several of the attendings that came also brought their children. Granted this ups the numbers..but not by much.

I think that a more tactful way to handle this was to set a limit of guests and then offer the opportunity to pay for the additional guest. I can promise you that two kids meals would cost us a heck of a lot less than the babysitter we are going to have to get for the event.

It's not like we don't already give enough of our time to this program. Bret works ALL the time and our family time is very precious. I enjoy going to these programs...I really do but I don't enjoy going to them at the expense of time away from my family. Besides we have come to know these graduating residents as part of our family. My kids are close (if not sometimes closer) to the people leaving than some of the other residents or attendings even are. It seems very unfair to exclude such a small group with excuse of budget.

I have always been the first to declare that one of the most important parts of this program to me is that they are family oriented. If this recent change is ANY indication my opinions will have to change as well. If there are already going to be children there (infants and the graduating residents' families) and when we are talking about such a small number really is it worth it?