Her alarm clock blares at 5:05 a.m., the first of many sounds Rouviere will hear throughout the day. After waking up and checking her notifications, she takes about 20 minutes to get dressed, make coffee, pack her bag and lunch for the day, and grab her trusty On Cloud sneakers before making the three-minute drive from her apartment to the hospital.

Rouviere begins her 11-hour shift at 6 a.m., riding the hospital elevator up to floor 10 and scanning her badge at the locked Pediatric ICU doors. Inside the unit, festive decorations brighten every surface, from hand-painted ceiling tiles to seasonal cartoons and cheery pumpkins drawn on the glass doors of individual patient and family rooms. 

It is quiet, except for mechanical hums and beeps from vital sign monitors, breathing devices, and other critical care technology. 

Depositing her bags at a workstation in the center of the unit, Rouviere greets her co-resident for the day and begins a sign-out report with the overnight resident and nurses, checking on patients, and taking over assigned cases for the day. One patient admitted from the emergency room with multiorgan failure, while another came from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and may be discharged soon for the first time in their young life. A third is watching “Bluey” while receiving chemotherapy. Rouviere makes a few calls to other hospital departments coordinating orders and monitors an incoming hurricane, which may bring additional patient transfers from hospitals in evacuation zones. 

If there is any downtime, she and her co-resident chat about their weekend plans and pop downstairs to the cafe for coffee No. 2. 

At 9 a.m., she joins the Pediatric ICU assistant medical director, a pediatrics fellow, pharmacist, nutritionist, and her co-resident on rounds. Going room by room for two to three hours, the group checks in with each patient, family, and nurse, discussing immediate priorities, any concerns, and plans of care. Rouviere presents her patients’ cases to the team, answering questions about test results, diagnoses, prognoses, and discusses collaboration with other hospital teams like radiology, neurology, and physical therapy.  

After a lunch of Mexican street corn pasta salad, Rouviere spends her afternoon divided between placing and following up on orders, patient consults, charting, and assisting families in the Pediatric ICU. 

Residency training at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital lasts three years, and graduating medical students are placed into the program through the National Resident Matching Program’s mathematical algorithm. Each March, medical students across the country find out where they are matched in a celebratory surprise event known as Match Day. 

As a UF College of Medicine student on third- and fourth-year clinical rotations, Rouviere enjoyed the kind and welcoming experiences she had with those working in pediatrics, as well as the wide variety of pathologies and procedures she was able to learn.  

 “Starting residency always has its challenges, but knowing the hospital, the people, the electronic medical record system, and the general flow of things definitely helped ease the transition,” she said. “The UF College of Medicine places a significant emphasis on humanistic, patient-centered care and early clinical experiences. These aspects of the curriculum provided me with a strong foundation to build upon in residency.” 

Rouviere and her co-residents have an 80-hour work limit per week, following national guidelines established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. They typically work 12 days straight and have two days off, with day shifts and night shifts lasting 11 and 13 hours, respectively, plus sign-out time. During Pediatric ICU rotations, they also have two 24-hour shifts per month. Other rotations include shifts with the Neonatal ICU, newborn nursery, clinics, emergency medicine, cardiology, hematology and oncology, rheumatology and immunology, and electives. 

Well-being is an important consideration during the demanding schedule of residency and one Rouviere and her colleagues take steps to protect. On a personal scale, things like drinking water, getting enough sleep, and packing her favorite snacks, like energy balls, fruit, and dark chocolate, help her get through the day. For the program, creating a collaborative environment between residents, attendings, advisors, and directors is key. 

“We know that residency is hard. At our residency program, excellence in patient care and learning is paired with an emphasis on personal well-being. We have several social events and wellness activities for our residents,” said Arwa Saidi, MBBCH, M.Ed., director of the UF pediatrics residency program.

Off the clock, Rouviere and the other pediatrics residents have a book club and attend trivia nights. When she got married to fellow College of Medicine graduate and family medicine resident Charlie Sarria, M.D. ’23, in September, many of her colleagues attended to celebrate with them. 

 “My co-residents and I always give each other an ear to listen, and we also help each other if the day gets really crazy,” she said. “We support each other outside of work, too. Our class is just phenomenal. It’s nice to have people you know you can lean on.”  

After signing out, Rouviere leaves the hospital and makes it home by 6 p.m. One quick shower later, she and her husband head to the kitchen to make a delicious dinner of sushi bowls, settling down to eat and enjoy their guilty pleasure — reality TV. Some nights, they call and catch up with family, hit the gym, socialize with their co-residents, or read. Rouviere ends each day with a Spanish lesson on Duolingo before heading to bed at 9 p.m.  

With just one year of training left, her thoughts lean toward career options for practicing medicine after residency and reflecting on all she has learned so far. 

“Enjoy the season of life you’re in,” she said. “Time flies way faster than you’d think.”