Meet the Resident: Sonia Dogra, DO

Get to know Sonia Dogra, DO, internal medicine resident.

Career goal: My goal is to work in cardiology or hospital medicine.

“Being a resident at LVHN means that you are receiving a quality education while also being an empathetic physician.”

What makes your LVHN training program different from others across the country?

LVHN is different from other training programs because not only do they focus on your professional growth as a doctor but also focus on your well-being. Our core rotations are set up in two-week blocks; this has made our schedule much more manageable and allows for a work-life balance. Furthermore, with the 4+1 schedule we have built-in breaks in our busy routine that allow us to focus on our personal lives. During lunch on our ambulatory weeks, we usually go out to eat and socialize with our fellow co-residents. This is something I look forward to every month. LVHN has all the specialties that you could want in-house. This usually means very few things get sent outside of this hospital, which allows for a great learning environment because you learn how to treat and manage most things.

What has been the most extraordinary part of your training experience so far?

What is unique about LVHN is that you have the best of both worlds. LVHN is a community hospital with university affiliation. The amount of pathology that I have seen at LVHN has been tremendous, and we have access to resources that you would find in most university programs. However, what is unique about LVHN is that by being a community hospital you have a personal touch to everything you do. Even though LVHN may be a large facility, this is still a very tight-knit community. The faculty and staff are kind and want you to learn. They are supportive of their residents. They are there to guide your clinical decision-making. At the same time, they give you autonomy in managing your own patients.

What is one memory you have from your training so far that will stick with you for your career?

I will always remember the support and guidance that I have received from my fellow co-residents in this program. When my co-residents figured out in the first week of residency that I was interested in cardiology, they immediately took me under their wing. My senior residents have helped me obtain case reports. They have also mentored me on how to become a competitive applicant for fellowship. The mentorship and support that I have received from my senior residents are unmatched.

What is one piece of advice you would share with someone as they select a training program?

Any program can give you an education and allow you to become a physician. But one thing I would recommend considering is looking at the type of physicians that a program creates and looking at the environment that a program fosters.

What does it mean to be a resident at LVHN?

Being a resident at LVHN means that you are receiving a quality education while also being an empathetic physician. It means that you have access to resources that allow you to pursue your dreams whether it is fellowship or working as an attending physician. I am proud to call myself a resident at LVHN.