The Setting

"North Entrance". 8/10/12 via wikimedia. Attribution Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

To further understand the story,  it is important to understand setting and where the controversy is located.

The story takes place in the beautiful and busy city of Seattle, Washington, where the sound of rain is like constant background music, the night chill a sort of calming lullaby. Specifically, we are looking at the hospitals affiliated with the University of Washington Medical School. This medical school is rated one of the top medical schools in the country and has received significant recognition thanks to it's passionate students and dedicated staff. Walking into a hospital is typically like walking into an extremely controlled tornado, in a way. There are numerous procedures and tests being run, sneakers squeaking everywhere, small gusts of wind as scrub-wearing faculty walk by. But everything is organized and people are communicating. Residents are of utmost importance to keeping the whole show running. They complete procedures, scrub into surgery, monitor overnight care, complete paperwork, and numerous other activities depending on their residency and/or specialty. There is not a single resident there who has free time during a shift, everyone is hustling. Every resident is difference and comes from a diverse background, but one issue they all have in common is the pile of debt they are buried under due to medical school am living expenses. This financial burden is usually still not addressed during residency due to resident pay rates. Although the rates are relatively even across the country, living in the expensive city of Seattle is not helping. Young residents continue to work long shifts, power through being on call, continue learning new procedures, and maintain somewhat of a social life. Stories have been shared of residents such as Katie, who was 36 weeks pregnant before being forced to take a small leave from her residency due to complications. Or Andrew Korson, who claims he barely makes enough money afford his rent. These stories are fairly common among residents, which is why the issue has been brought up by a organizations such as UWHA and are supported by Seattle City Council. With these stories in mind, it is easy to see why living in a beautiful city, working a wonderful job, can still cause stress for medical residents.

 What do you think the importance of the location is?