Gold Humanism Honor Society

Thank a Resident Day

 

Led by the Gold Humanism Honor Society, Thank a Resident Day is a special day that takes place each year on the last Friday of February to collectively show gratitude and appreciation for resident physicians and fellows, and how integral they are to the healthcare team.

The 2025 Thank a Resident Day was Friday, February 28.

The 2026 Thank a Resident Day will be Friday, February 27.

More than 800 residency site participated this year! View the list of 2025 sites.

Check out the amazing celebrations on Instagram at @ghhsgold and @goldftn, as well as The Arnold P. Gold Foundation’s LinkedIn page and Facebook page.

About Thank a Resident Day

Residency is a key component of graduate medical training, offering an in-depth exposure to medical practice. It can often mean long working hours matched with many responsibilities. Residents serve as the hospital’s “house staff” and are an integral part of the healthcare team. They often serve as indispensable resources for medical students, especially during a clinical clerkship.

In 2018, the Gold Humanism Honor Society decided to bring to light the importance of the residence staff and encourage medical students at chapters throughout the nation to show their gratitude and appreciation. Thank a Resident Day has since expanded to hundreds of programs around the country.

Activity ideas

Here is a sampling of ideas for celebrating resident physicians and fellows on Feb. 28 — or anytime during the year. We encourage you to be creative and think of what your particular residents and fellows would appreciate and find meaningful.

  • Write and deliver handwritten thank-you cards from colleagues and patients.
  • Host a thank you breakfast or lunch gathering for residents and fellows.
  • Set up a grab-and-go snack station with healthy options.
  • Create a dedicated gratitude wall filled with messages of appreciation.
  • Give small, thoughtful gifts like coffee mugs.
  • Host a wellness retreat.
  • Host an activity, like trivia or karaoke night.
  • Bring in therapy dogs for a sweet animal connection.
  • Plan a visit to a local museum or attraction.
  • Bring in a massage therapist to offer extra care to residents and fellows.

Stickers

Thank a Resident Day stickers are a nice way to add an extra touch to your celebration.

Each year, the Gold Humanism Honor Society offers free stickers to participating sites for Thank a Resident Day. The deadline for sticker requests has passed, but we are offering the files here for you to order and print stickers. Stickers can be printed at a local university print shop, Next Day Flyers, VistaPrint (look for their frequent coupon codes), or many other print shops.

The files here can be used for 2-inch-by-2-inch circles, or for up to 4 inches by 4 inches in squares or circles or other fun shapes.

Full bleed means the orange is extended to the edge of the file, so that even if the shape trimming is off a bit, it still looks good.

Best option, generally:

Alternate version: white circle with an orange border:

If you are printing on square stickers or another option that doesn’t need a border:

For help or questions, please email Brianne Alcala, Chief Communications Officer, at balcala@gold-foundation.org.

Banners

Download a PDF file of a banner to hang during Thank a Resident Day. Print the banner at your institution’s print shop or any other printing business, such as VistaPrint.

All banners are sized to print at 8 feet long and 2.5 feet high, or an equivalent smaller ratio.

For questions or help with the banners, please email balcala@gold-foundation.org.

Archives & Participants List

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018