medical students
The Association of Women Surgeons National Medical Student Committee
By Charlotte Smith, Gopika SenthilKumar, Paulina Gutkin Fostering a community intended to elevate women medical students is vital not only for increasing representation within surgery, but also building and strengthening professional and interpersonal connections among the future generation of surgeons. The AWS National Medical Student Committee (NMSC) is a collaborative of 27 medical students from across the United States and five international regions. We are incredibly excited to introduce the 23’-24’ NMSC members. The committee plans and coordinates national and local initiatives designed to engage medical students with the parent AWS organization and its values: engage, empower, and excel. Our main projects can be divided into the following categories: Research and Resource Development We use our strength as a diverse committee to brainstorm and execute research projects related to the main mission of AWS. In 2022, we published our paper “Comparison of Male and Female Surgeons' Experiences With Gender Across...
THE MATCH EQUATION: AN IMG’S PERSPECTIVE
by: Anjani H Turaga, IMG The day starts at 5 am on an unusually cold morning in Los Angeles, where we see our protagonist, an IMG (International medical graduate) brushing her teeth furiously, trying her hardest to pay attention to the video lectures playing in the background, all while checking her clock to make sure she has enough time to reach the hospital before her preceptor. The physical exhaustion that comes with having only a few hours of sleep is overwhelming, yet she remains focused on her goal: matching into a residency program in the United States. While at first glance, the scene above seems overwhelming, it is a reality that every medical student, irrespective of their location, experiences in the year leading up to the Match. Our protagonist's journey is made more complicated, however, with her decision to to pursue a surgical residency program as an IMG. The uphill...
A Weightlifters Guide to Fitness during Medical Education
By Sophie Hockran Two years into medical school, and I have learned a lot, as expected. Many who have come before me know the feeling of learning so much information that your brain may explode. Being the first physician in my family, I was truly not prepared for this amount of information. I thought I was prepared, but it is hard to know before doing it. I think I need to make it clear that I am not just talking about the information from lectures, labs, and clinics. It is the hidden curriculum. Moving away from home, handling interpersonal relationships, finances, research, leadership, volunteering–the many arms of being a medical student and surgical hopeful, all create a unique set of challenges. The most important thing that I have learned is to hold onto the things that bring me joy. Coming from a collegiate track and field career, I have leaned...
How an Arab American Made It to a Surgical Residency
By Shadin Ghabra, MD As an Arab-American female of Syrian descent, who lived in the Middle East, applying to medical school was a no brainer. I grew up in a household that believed knowledge is the essence of female empowerment and strength. I had the full support of my family when I decided to go into general surgery. After applying to different programs, I was thrilled to find out I was accepted into the top residency of my choice. I believed that I would finish my surgical training in the Middle East, obtain my boards, and practice within the area. It wasn't until the end of my PGY-4 that surgical oncology turned into this unmaintainable passion. It felt like the right fit, but no decision goes without consequences. Surgical oncology with all its complexity obviously required a fellowship. The fellowship that I was looking for was nowhere in the vicinity...
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,...
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...
Intertwining Surgery and Law: A Medical Student’s Mission to Pursue a Medicolegal Career
By Alyssa Reese In life and in medicine, we are often pulled by intangible forces to the next steps in our path. We go forward with uncertainty, yet we look back into the past to see that everything made perfect sense. We see how our interests have guided us and how the seemingly winding road evolved into a linear course. I personally look back on how my interest in law has and continues to shape my career goals. My interest in law began in high school, as a member of my school’s mock trial team. I have many fond memories of meticulously preparing our cases, studying affidavits, and riding the bus to local tournaments. While I thought about pursuing a career in law when applying to college, I knew in my heart that I wanted to be a physician because of the patient care aspect of medicine. Nevertheless, I couldn’t...
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....
Destination Wellness: The Occupational Domain
By Kyla Wright “So, tell me – why general surgery?” My mouth begins reciting a premeditated answer before my mind has time to catch up. We are only a few weeks into interview season and, already, I must resist the temptation to let motor memory takeover and instead maintain some degree of authenticity in my words. Though interview season feels like an imitation game at times, it offers a unique opportunity for reflection: preparing for anticipated interview topics, applicants like me reflect on their values, strengths, weaknesses, and ability to cope with and face the challenges of a career in surgery. Many questions (E.g., What do you believe is the most rewarding aspect of a career in surgery? Can you maintain a work-life balance?) address a common theme – how will you achieve and maintain occupational wellness in your future career as a surgeon? Occupational wellness is a term that...
