education
Physician, Heal Thyself: Recognizing and Understanding Burnout
By Gabrielle Rieth This topic seems particular relevant and timely for me and my classmates, as we are currently in the happy limbo-land that our school dubs “Research Block.” It takes place following our second year of medical school, sitting for the USMLE Step 1 examination, and just prior to beginning our tenure as mini-docs in the arduous final two “clinical” years of our undergraduate medical education. On some level, I anticipated what I’d find when I began researching this topic. The concepts of self-care, emotional welfare, and professional burnout are hot-button issues in the medical world. In April, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy brought it to national attention in an interview at the annual meeting of the Association of Health Care Journalists. The culture of medicine was documented on the well-known website, Humans of New York. A student at another medical school shared a candid commentary on her struggles with...
Learning New Roles
By Joanelle A. Bailey, M.D. My last call of my intern year is on June 30th, which means that I will be supervising the new incoming interns when they come to care for patients for their first time as physicians on the morning of July 1st. I have been thinking of the logistics for that day, specifically how important communication between team members will be as our roles on that morning will be changing. I remember my first day of residency, nearly one year ago, and how I had a rather idealistic view of how the first few weeks would go. I knew my year would be an arduous one, but I hoped to quickly become an efficient intern and an effective member of the patient care team. Many of my co-residents set a great example for my class and provided great advice and guidance. The best advice I got...
Finding Comfort in Silence
By Madeline Torres It was another night in the SICU: 5:30 pm sign out, resident rounds, and dinner. As usual, I’d go into Mr. X’s room to examine him and make small talk with his wife but tonight she was not there. Mr. X was a 55-year-old otherwise healthy man who came in as trauma patient after a motor vehicle crash. His hospital course had been complicated by multiple surgeries, cardiac arrests, renal failure, and eventually a debilitating stroke. That night, he was in his usual state: with sluggish pupils that would respond to verbal stimuli and a slight movement of his left upper extremity. At around 10 PM, his nurse called me to evaluate him as his pupils were no longer reactive and his strength had decreased. I was scared and preoccupied, something was off and I did not know what it was. I also knew that he would...
The American College of Surgeons Leadership and Advocacy Summit
An Inside Look from a Resident Attendee By Erin M Garvey Over 500 surgeons attended the ACS Leadership and Advocacy Summit from April 9th to April 12th in Washington DC, and nearly 70 of those attendees were residents and fellows. This was my first time attending the Summit, and I was truly blown away by the quality of the educational content, the value of political advocacy and the plethora of networking opportunities. The leadership portion of the course was full of excellent content ranging from conflict management and cultural dexterity to improving emotional intelligence. Dr. Adil H. Haider, MPH, MD, FACS from the Center for Surgery and Public Health recommended everyone visit the website for Project Implicit and take an Implicit Association Test. Some of my favorite quotes from the day include: “We judge ourselves by our best intentions but judge others by their actions” –Kurt O’Brien, MHROD University of...
The Start of a New AWS Chapter
By Sarah Armenia One of the best aspects of AWS is the amazing support its members in training and practice and committees show medical student members. I have experienced this support firsthand at the annual conference and as a member of the national medical student committee. This year, I also had the opportunity to join with other women at my medical school to start a new AWS chapter at New Jersey Medical School. Many people frequently asked me why AWS was a necessary addition, given that our school already had several surgery interest groups. This was the perfect opportunity to show my peers, who were unfamiliar with AWS, just how instrumental the organization can be in nurturing the interests of female medical students interested in surgery. The members of AWS span all levels of training and each individual uses their experience to help others about to encounter similar milestones along...
Medical Students Petition to End Step 2 Clinical Skills Exam
By Nickey Jafari Recently, several students at Harvard Medical School started a petition to eliminate the national clinical skills exam for US medical graduates, a requirement they regard as an unnecessary expense providing little to no educational purpose or benefit to future patients. They argue that the high cost of the exam, combined with the very low number of medical students that fail, results in an undue burden to medical students. Indeed, USMLE cites a pass rate of 96% for first-time takers of Step 2CS. While the students behind this movement have not yet spoken directly with the NBME, members of the medical community who have encountered the petition have exhibited no real pushback to the idea of ending the Step 2 Clinical Skills Exam. Over 14,000 individuals have already signed their petition. We interviewed Carolyn Treasure, a 4th year medical student at Harvard, and one of the leaders of...
The Other Nine Percent
By Miriam D. Weisberg The United States Preventative Services Task Force and American Cancer Society advocate the importance of Papanicolaou tests (Pap test) as effective screening for cervical cancer prevention. Since the introduction of Pap tests, there has been a decline in cervical cancer deaths by 50%. These statistics are a proud reflection of the impact early detection has had over the past 30 years. USPTF guideline revisions now recommend Pap tests once every 3 years for women over 21, and only once every 5 years after the age of 30. Despite the success of early detection, the new guidelines are decreasing the frequency of examination. Is the leniency of these guidelines a risk factor for the next generation of young women? The guideline revisions are based on the correlation between HPV and development of cervical cancer, which accounts for 91% of cervical cancers every year.. Unlike self-breast exams for...
Greening the OR
By Abigail Forbes As a medical student I have learned to seek out opportunities that will foster my journey through medical school and facilitate my goal of becoming a surgeon. The Go Green Contest is one of those many opportunities I came across through AWS. I gained an invaluable mentor and was able to promote a great cause: benefitting our environment. Students and residents should take advantage of this opportunity! When I was formulating a ‘green solution’ to submit, I benefitted from my surgeon mentor’s knowledge. Additionally, I was able to communicate my commitment and wide interests in the medical field. I found this unique interaction with faculty that allowed me to stand out as a medical student and to explore the possibilities and process of improving healthcare in my community. Together, we were able to outline an educational plan to train medical students about operating room procedures by saving...
Beautiful Girl, You Can Do Hard Things
By Brittany Bankhead-Kendall I saw that quote on my favorite Facebook group recently, called "Physician Moms Group" (or "PMG"). This is a group of women who, like all of us, are just trying to "do" life every day. Because of our integrity and intellect, we are trying to do it better than anyone else. I think that’s from a “Type A” personality, combined with leadership & wanting to be perfect at absolutely everything. Make sure the kids are happy, our finances are in order, our trip to Disney World is fun, the house is clean, the co-workers aren't mad we’re on maternity leave, ensure we are the go-to specialist, the spouse feels loved, and the list goes on. But don't let any one of these Jenga pieces fall! As women in medicine, and especially as women in surgery, our formidable years in training teach us how to be strong and...
The Impact of Shared Experience
Reflections from the Panamerican Trauma Society/Association of Women Surgeons’ Women in Surgery Panel at the 28th Panamerican Trauma Congress in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia By Marissa Boeck In a giant convention hall, blindingly bright lights shine down on a long table in the middle of a makeshift stage. A moderate-sized crowd filters in. While the majority are women, there is a mix of genders that spans generations, all coming to hear a handful of female surgeons speak. Included is a mother from the local community who brings her adolescent daughter, in the hopes of reinforcing that despite local or cultural female stereotypes, her daughter can achieve whatever she sets her mind to. The panelists come from different training and geographic backgrounds, from medical school graduates to senior attendings, general surgeons to those specializing in trauma, bariatrics, or gynecology, hailing from Bolivia to Panama to Canada. The venue is...
