Hoping for a June Baby

Let’s hope the Baby ‘Time arrives in June.  No offense, to Mags (who is starting residency this year) or my sister (who will be a 3rd year resident this July).

Avoid hospitals in July like the plague.If you can, stay out of the hospital during the summer, especially July. That’s the month when medical students become interns, interns become residents, and residents become fellows and full-fledged doctors. In other words, a good portion of the staff at any given teaching hospital is new on the job.

Summer hospital horror stories aren’t just medical lore: The adjusted mortality rate rises 4% in July and August for the average major teaching hospital, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. That means eight to 14 more deaths occur at major teaching hospitals than would normally without the turnover.