Hayley A. Silverstein, DO
Name
Hayley A. Silverstein, DO
Residency Program
Psychiatry
Program Year
PGY-1
Medical School
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Home
Atlanta, GA
About
Where are you from and where did you go to medical school?
I am from Atlanta, Georgia. Born and raised here, been here my entire life. I went to PCOM-GA in Suwanee for medical school after going to Emory for my undergrad, where I received my BA in French language studies. I also worked for Emory’s School of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics as a clinical researcher during undergrad and my gap year between undergrad and medical school.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you wanted to pursue psychiatry.
Becoming a psychiatrist was a very roundabout process for me. Growing up, I spent 10 years in professional ballet training at Atlanta Ballet. When I went to college, I continued my love of French by majoring in it while pursuing the pre-med track because I was endlessly fascinated with medicine. My first exposure to psychiatry was a French class on psychoanalysis, which I absolutely loved. I also spent five years working in a clinical research lab at Emory’s School of Medicine as a clinical research assistant and then a clinical research coordinator during my gap year. When I got to medical school, I was not even considering psychiatry at the time. I came to NGHS (and more specifically Laurelwood) my third year of medical school for my psychiatry rotation, and it changed my life. I had always found psychiatry interesting, but I was leaning more towards acute, in-patient care at the time. My experiences at Laurelwood with Dr. Glass and on psych consult with Dr. Miles were inspiring and eye-opening. I was able to experience the acuity and hospital-based practice that I wanted with the pathology I was most passionate about. I fell in love with psychiatry as a result and never looked back. I find psychiatry deeply fascinating. I love the intersection of psychology, neurology, pharmacology, behavior and everything else that makes up the complexity of the psychiatric practice. Being able to help the acutely and severely mentally ill improve to the point that they can return to school or work, be happy to spend time with friends again, and regain the ability to live their lives without psychiatric distress was beyond rewarding for me.
How do you maintain wellness here in residency?
I am very fortunate to be a Psychiatry resident where wellness is something that is important to the program. I love baking when I have free time or when a co-resident’s birthday rolls around as a break from my busy day. We have a large Lego set in the Psychiatry resident lounge to work on as a stress break during the day when we have time. Dr. Amaravadi and I started going to yoga classes together, which have been great for our physical and mental health. I think the most helpful thing I do for my wellness is keeping my work during work hours and at the hospital. When I get done with my clinical work early, I spend the rest of the time studying, working on research projects, following up on committee responsibilities, etc. That way when I go home, I can focus on myself and do things I enjoy instead of worry about work. And big shoutout to my cat Purkinje who is my emotional support fur baby!
You are on the Wellness Committee; what made you want to join, and would you encourage others to as well?
I was volunteered by my co-residents to be on the Wellness Committee during orientation before I had the opportunity to sign up because I was already planning activities for us then. I have always loved finding ways to brighten the most mundane days for people. For example, I still hand out paper valentines with candy on Valentine’s Day to friends and colleagues because why not have fun and celebrate even as an adult. In medical school, I would randomly bring in chocolate for classmates just as a random pick-me-up. I always bake birthday cakes for friends because even though we are busy with work, we should still find time to celebrate that person and enjoy a slice of cake. To me, wellness is the little things that bring comfort to you each day and make even the worst days more manageable. I would encourage people to join the Wellness Committee because you and your entire program benefit from the work that is done. There is also an amazing group of people on the committee!
What are some ways residents can support one another in residency?
I think remembering that we are all residents and that we are tired, overworked, overwhelmed and just trying to figure out how to be a doctor. Be kind to each other and help each other out; we are all learning. Don’t let one person carry more of the team’s work than everyone else and offer to help when someone ends up carrying a heavier burden than you. Remember to celebrate the little things with each other, whether they are work-related or not.