About Resident Help
Last updated · By Resident Help
Resident Help is a South Carolina nonprofit being formed to help resident physicians. It specializes in resident dismissals, and in the remediation, probation, suspension, and non-renewal that usually come before one. It is not a law firm and does not provide legal services.
What we do
- A free, confidential intake and case review. We read what you have received, find the deadlines, and tell you plainly what the next step is.
- When you need a lawyer, we connect you with independent counsel who handle resident matters, within 48 hours, at a reduced flat fee with no hourly billing. Resident Help receives nothing from that fee or for the referral.
- The free Residency Record, a private place to keep the documents and dates that decide these cases.
- Plain language guidance on how GME discipline works, with every source listed.
- Many residents who reach us are international medical graduates (IMGs). A case review also looks at the clocks a visa adds. If you are on a J-1, Intealth (formerly ECFMG) must be notified of changes to your training, including leaves of absence, remediation, and termination. See Intealth (ECFMG) and residency dismissal.
What we do not do
We do not give legal advice and we do not represent anyone. Contacting us does not create an attorney client relationship. If you hire a lawyer we connect you with, that lawyer is independent, works for you, and is solely responsible for the advice and the work, under their own written engagement agreement.
Who started it
Dr. Mushtaq was terminated from his residency program and reached out to his trusted friend Wali Raja, an attorney, for help. The two worked on that matter together diligently for months to obtain a favorable outcome. What they learned along the way, and how hard it was to find, is why this site exists. Read Dr. Mushtaq’s account, and see Wali Raja’s profile, including his firm.
We understand the position residents are in when they reach us. They are under immense stress and on the verge of losing a career they spent years building. Most do not have much money, and many are deep in debt. Our goal is to help them back into their careers.
Governance
The board is being seated. South Carolina law requires a nonprofit board of at least 3 directors. Directors are named here once they are appointed.
Funding
The organization is funded by grants and individual donations. No donor has any say in whom we help, and we do not accept or pay anything of value in connection with a referral in either direction.
What we ask of ourselves
We answer everyone who writes to us. We tell people plainly when we are not the right help, and we say who is. We do not predict outcomes, and we do not use anyone's crisis as marketing material.
Contact
Write to us at intake@residenthelp.org, or use the confidential intake form.