The OP highlights the overwhelming control that residency directors have over their residents lives and future. There needs to be more resources available to residents for reference when going through this process. There are too many malignant programs out there with poor leadership and residency directors who abuse their power. This is a consequence of poor Med Ed oversight in non-academic, community-based programs. I’m sorry that you’re going through this. And, you are not alone.
Still, the advice given is sound. Move on. Get them back with your future successes.
When you think about it, it is really just a learning exp for the next stages (attending).
Out in the real world, you will deal with hospital admins, chief of X, tough nurses, owner doc of your office, managers, CMO, CEO, HR, whatever. It is a fact that most of them can hurt you if they sour on you, and it's good to get along... and simply avoid the malignant ones.
This is reason #98 why pod students need to AVOID THESE CRAP RESIDENCIES, pick clerkships wisely, and have options going into match. Sadly, that 'crap residencies' is still a third or even half of our "accredited" podiatry programs that lack enough cases, lack good enough attendings, severely lack good attendings, lack true teaching hospital or trauma center sponsor to get good cases and good off-service teaching. We all know that the worst ones even farm residents to see their consults or clinic, triple scrub, fudge logs, etc while APMA and CPME open new podiatry schools.
Further, this is reason #286 why being owner/solo can be nice: it is pretty easy to just cut or minimize ties with the majority of tough or unreasonable relationships (facilities, employees, admin, ancillary services, vendors and products, etc). That is a lot harder in employed jobs as those relationships are largely dictated to you by bosses in various forms, but it's critical to have those soft skills for overall success of any DPM.
