© 2026 KUNR
Illustration of rolling hills with occasional trees and a radio tower.
Serving Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Alexa devices are currently experiencing technical difficulties with streaming KUNR. Our team is actively working on a solution.
For continued listening, stream KUNR right here on KUNR.org or click here to download the KUNR app.

The July Effect: Is It Really A Bad Time To Go To The Hospital?

Imagine it’s the final game of the season. The stakes are high and suddenly, a quarter of your team is subbed out and replaced with – rookies.

That’s how some people in medicine describe what happens each July when senior residents move on, and a wave of 30,000 or so newly minted doctors begin their residencies at hospitals across the country.

With all these newbies starting to make the rounds, is this a bad time to be a patient? Elana Gordon from The Pulse at Here & Now contributor WHYY in Philadelphia reports.

Reporter

  • Elana Gordon, health and science reporter for The Pulse at WHYY in Philadelphia. She tweets @Elena_Gordon.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.