Resident doctors at the University of New Mexico Hospital ratified a new contract last week, winning a 5% raise after months of negotiations.
Residents are the doctors many patients have first and last contact with at the hospital. Around 700 will get the raise.
Resident Rupali Gautam said that, while the main goal of the raise is to convince residents to establish roots in Albuquerque, it also benefits patients by addressing the state’s physician shortage. New Mexico was in need of 5,000 more health care workers from 2018 to 2023, according to a legislative analysis.
"We see the disparities first hand. I have patients that aren’t able to get in to see a specialist for six, seven, eight months and their disease progresses drastically the next time I see them," Gautam said. "I believe supporting residents is a public health imperative."
According to Gautam, UNMH trains 97% of the residents in New Mexico and, even with this raise, they are paid under the median salary for the region.
The residents are already planning for their next negotiation cycle with the hospital. Gautum said they willl focus on increasing benefits like parental and holiday leave.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
