How to make time to eat—and eat right—during physician residency

As a resident physician, eating a full meal during a long shift can feel like a rare luxury—and finding the time or energy to make that meal healthy can seem downright impossible.

According to the 2024 AMA National Resident Comparison Report, which includes responses from more than 3,600 residents nationwide, about one-third of residents skipped a meal on three or more days in a single week. Nearly half reported eating at least one poorly balanced meal on three or more days during that same period. 

Exclusive to the AMA, these findings, which represent data from all organizations that surveyed residents with the AMA’s Organizational Biopsy® in 2024, reinforce a common reality in graduate medical education: basic acts of self-care can often fall by the wayside under the pressure of residency.

Given the rigorous demands of residency training, is it possible for residents to eat regularly—and reasonably well? A resident physician and graduate medical education (GME) faculty member offered a few tactics that residents can use to take small steps toward better nutrition.