awareness
To Do’s Before Starting Residency
By Alyssa Brown Congratulations are in order for the many new women surgeons that will be joining our ranks as interns next year! Last year, I felt like time flew by between opening that envelope and starting intern orientation. The finish line of my intern year is in sight, and looking back now, there were so many things I wished I had or hadn’t done. Here is my unofficial guide to getting ready for residency. Do not study! This is one of the last times you will have time that is completely yours. You should not worry yet about how to study for next year or try to review for residency. The time will come for in-service exams, but that time is not now. Update your CV This is very lame to do, but it is important. It is helpful to start residency with an up-to-date CV. It takes time,...
Diversify Ourselves
By Dr. Chantal Reyna How well would you handle not being able to perform surgery anymore? The real question is “How much of your identity is based on being a surgeon?” We tend to define ourselves by our professions. Our profession has been a large part of our identity. We have dedicated our formative years to this profession. When we lose our profession, we lose a part of ourselves. It is a void; it is a hollowing. How can we put ourselves in a position where we still recognize ourselves if we lose a piece of our identity? Resilience is the answer. Resilience is flexibility. Resilience is adapting to unexpected changes, stressors, or adversity. Resilience is strengthened by diversifying ourselves and can be learned. We are the sum of many parts. Think about jigsaw puzzles or impressionist artwork. Each individual piece combines and interacts to build a structure that is...
Reflections and Advice from a Former Preliminary Surgery Resident
by Justine Broecker, MD Now that it’s post-match day, a day of celebration for many, I wanted to write a blog post focused on people who may or may not have felt as celebratory—specifically those who didn’t match into categorical surgery programs—as someone who similarly did not match into a categorical position. First of all, even though you may feel like you failed, perhaps for the first time in your life, let me assure you that you are NOT a failure. And, even though challenges are ahead, being a preliminary surgery resident is just the beginning and does not mean you can’t succeed. I wanted to write this post for several reasons—to acknowledge the challenges preliminary surgery residents face, to offer some advice as someone who has now successfully completed general surgery training, and to shed light on how the general surgery community can and should do more to support...
Creating an Inclusive Surgical Community: Association of Out Surgeons & Allies
When I was asked to write a piece describing who the Association of Out Surgeons & Allies (AOSA https://www.outsurgeons.org/) is for the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) blog, I paused. I hesitated because the answer seemed so simple, but complex. Members of AOSA are your: fellow surgeons, patients, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends. We represent an often overlooked minority group that faces discrimination for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) identities but also cumulatively experience gender discrimination, sexual harassment and encounter unique vulnerabilities within healthcare. Many of us belong to more than one marginalized group, and most have encountered discrimination throughout our lives, during surgical training, and in our careers. The AOSA is a group of LGBTQ+ surgeons and LGBTQ+ allies of our community, who are connected to support one another and to try to close the existing knowledge and discrimination gap. The need for such an organization...
5 reasons I pursued an executive MBA and how it has helped me so far.
Heather Yeo, MD, MHS, MBA, MS Having recently (2019) completed an executive masters in business administration (MBA) program, I often get asked about why I pursued one in the first place, if I would recommend doing one, and how it has helped me so far. While there are many reasons for doing an MBA as a health professional, for me the decision was primarily focused on where I wanted my career to go and what I thought would be important to me, as I matured as a surgical attending. The top 5 reasons I pursued an executive MBA are: I wanted to set myself up for success. As a woman in academic medicine, I know that a future in leadership is challenging as most recent data show that Full Professors of Surgery who are women make up only 5 % of the workforce. I felt that by getting and MBA...
What does being a surgical patient with limited English proficiency in the U.S. look like?
By Gabriela Brandão, MD Have you imagined yourself under the surgeon's knife? It might be a terrifying circumstance even for us, right? Now, can you imagine yourself under the surgeon's knife but in a place where nobody speaks your language? You would have no idea what's happening with your health in that room... It would probably be an intense fear of death. That scenario is not just a fictional horror movie story, unfortunately. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 25 million people in the United States speak English "less than very well." Many of them have very limited or no understanding of English. We have already faced or will definitely meet those patients throughout our surgical careers. We seek to provide the highest quality of care possible for all of our patients. Addressing language barriers in health, medicine, and surgery is urgently needed. Let's think together about their main...
Pancreatic Cancer Blog
Interview by: Dr. Rachana Punukollu In November 2022, I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Chawla, a hepatopancreatobiliary surgical oncologist. I rotated on his Surgical Oncology service at Northwestern Central Dupage Hospital for a month. Since then, Dr. Chawla has been a great mentor and source of support. I learnt a great deal of background on pancreatic cancer from his teaching in the OR and in the clinic. During my time on the service, I interacted with patients and their families who were affected by pancreatic cancer, and this sparked my interest in the disease. As I delved deeper into the statistics surrounding the pancreatic cancer and its dismal outcomes, I became increasingly motivated to raise awareness about its significance. Therefore, I decided to interview Dr. Chawla to gain a better understanding of pancreatic cancer and to help educate others about its importance. Introduction: Dr. Akhil Chawla is a Hepatopancreatobiliary...
Compassion as a Strategy to Mitigate Moral Injury in our Lives.
By: Elizabeth Perazza Back to 2009 after 8 years of experience as a Board-Certified Urologic Surgeon, I was told by a supervisor that I was not contributing to the training program. This supervisor’s opinion led to a plan that resulted in my removal as faculty of the training program. I was 1 of 3 female urology attendings amongst 20-25 male attendings. For years in therapy with mental health specialists, I was able to overcome feelings of shame, inadequacy and incompetence that subsequently threw me to a diagnosis of adjustment disorder with depressive features. Moral injury is defined as the profound psychological distress that results from actions, or the lack of actions, which violate one's moral or ethical code. Morally injurious events can include acts of perpetration or omission, or experiences of betrayal from leaders or trusted others. Moral injury is not a mental illness, although experiences of potentially morally injurious...
Challenges for women in surgery
By: Shiona Maria Benedict Fernandes “You will get married soon in the future. How will you be able to manage your family and your work life, if you choose this hectic lifestyle that surgery puts you through?” asked my mother back in 2020 when I had decided to tell her that being a surgeon was my dream. In addition to social deterrents, with women in surgery have also faced sexual harassment. Which has frequently gone unreported and and a well documented pay gap. It has been shown that lack of financial rewards and career advancement opportunities are two of the top challenges for female surgeons. In my opinion, medical schools and programs like AWS should create grants or scholarships for trans woman residents too. As to support their masters or research in surgery to encourage all women to continue their passion in surgery. The data is taken from Women in...
Commemorating Native culture through medical school- My journey as an Indigenous medical student
By Olivia Spaulding What is Native American Heritage Month? Every year the month of November is dedicated to celebrating Indigenous Peoples across the United States. It is a celebration of heritage, culture, and resilience amongst the first people of this nation. Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian and co-founder of the Society of American Indians in 1911, organized American Indian Day beginning in 1915. In 1976, it expanded to a week-long celebration. It was declared a national month-long celebration in November of 1990 under the George H.W. Bush administration. More recently, Columbus Day, which is recognized on the second Monday of October, has been reclaimed in cities across the United States as Indigenous People's Day. You can find more information on the National Native American Heritage Month website. My Journey My name is Olivia Spaulding, and I am a second year medical student at Howard University College of Medicine....
