Month: January 2019
Dear Pat responds to Not Over It Yet
Dear Pat, A patient that I had been following for several weeks died a few days ago, and I can't seem to stop feeling upset about it. I talked about it with my colleague and he told me to "get over it", and that "patients die, you'd better get used to it if you want to stay in this field." Part of me thinks he's right, but I am still struggling to get over this loss. Now I'm worried that if mention it to anyone else, I'll be labeled as "weak" or "too sensitive". How can I deal with these feelings without affecting the way people perceive me? Sincerely, Not Over It Yet Dear “Not Over it Yet,” I am so sorry about the death of your patient. A piece of advice I was given early in my career is that if it ever becomes easy to lose a patient,...
Gimme Shelter
By Alyssa Brown “It’s just a shot away, it’s just a shot away,” blared the music in the OR. There was a flurry of hands and spurts of blood. But I should start at the beginning of the story. I hate to say that there is something exciting about getting called in to the hospital in the middle of the night. Logically, I know that means something bad is happening to someone else, but it makes my heart beat a little faster and my adrenaline rush to know I can potentially help. I had been following a surgeon at a local hospital all Saturday. We didn’t have any cases so we both went home to rest at 3pm. We agreed that she would call me if anything came in. She always rolled her eyes when I asked her to do this because she thought I should probably just get some...
A Glimpse Behind the Scenes: What Really Goes on at a Residency Selection Committee
By Sarah Armenia On a crisp Boston morning during the AWS annual meeting this fall, sixty medical students gradually filed into a ballroom and chatted nervously as they sipped coffee and looked at the programs in front of them. I looked around for any familiar faces to ease the anxiety I felt just by the title alone: “Mock Residency Selection Committee.” I could tell I was not the only person bracing themselves for rocky subject matter in the audience, as the mood was significantly different from the jovial atmosphere of the AWS resident and medical student mixer the night before. But this sense of doom was instantly lifted as the panelists began introducing themselves, adding humor and levity to what could have otherwise been a grim session. Dr. Abbey Fingeret (@DrFingeret) began by coaching us through the thought process behind a powerful personal statement. She emphasized it should not be...
Dealing with Bullying
By Hilary Sanfey MB. BCh. MHPE, FACS, FRCSEd (hon) Bullying is a persistent pattern of mistreatment that includes verbal, nonverbal, psychological, or physical abuse and humiliation. The behavior is usually hierarchical although it can come from peers or coworkers. The detrimental consequences of burnout, ranging from job dissatisfaction to suicide, are becoming more apparent as is the adverse impact on patient safety. Surgery is often cited as a specialty where such behavior is particularly prevalent. Many senior surgeons trained in an era where ridicule and humiliation were considered to have a positive effect on clinical care, education, or even patient safety and thus tried to justify such behavior. Surgery is also a specialty where suffering is supposed to take place in silence; thus few victims or bystanders speak up for fear of ridicule or retaliation. Five categories of workplace bullying have been identified by Rayner et al: Threats to professional...
Successful Grant Application Writing
By Luz María Rodriguez MD, FACS This is the first of a series focusing on the components involved in writing a successful grant application. Surgeons by nature are natural scientists. Our curiosity, determination, and dedication to improve patient outcomes, including survival, new surgical approaches and translational research is part of our DNA. The United States supports an enormous research enterprise and spends more money than any other country on research and development, which is a great asset to practicing surgeons in this country. How can surgeons write a successful grant application regardless of the institutional environment? The National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world’s largest source of funding for medical research, provides the template prototype for a successful grant application. The guidance principal by the NIH provides resources to fund research proposals that excel in every one of the 5 NIH Review Criteria: Significance, Innovation, Investigators, Approach, and Environment. Below,...
Inspiring our future by encouraging our present
By Renee Hilton I am asked the same question nearly every day by young female medical students aspiring to become surgeons. “Can I be a surgeon and have a normal life as a woman?” You will make sacrifices in any career that you choose in medicine, and surgery is no exception. I respond by offering encouragement while explaining the challenges and then showing them my “travel wall” in my office. My bookshelves are lined with photographs of my family and our many adventures during my years spent as a surgical resident and later as a fellow. Even during the busiest time of my career I managed to find balance and not only have a life but really enjoy it. Part of the hesitation to pursuing surgery for many women is that traditionally surgery has been a male dominated field, but this is slowly changing. In 2018 according to the AAMC,...
Getting There from Here
By Elizabeth Shaughnessy Much is said and written about beginning one’s surgical career; however less so about advancement. I am always curious about others who advance. How did they get there? What advice do they have? Paths are not identical; each one has a different story. Engage them in conversation! Pursuit of basic science is more defined than other career paths. The beginning investigator should identify and engage a suitable mentor, best located at their home institution with a track record of mentoring success. One can acquire additional informal mentors for advice. Initial pilot grants allow generation of preliminary data based on one’s hypothesis. Preliminary data may enable the investigator to apply for a K grant through the NIH, a career development grant through the VA or another agency. Outside funding boosts your credibility as a researcher. Mentors for a K grant must participate in mentor training, and will likely...