medical students
AWS Highschool Outreach Event: Becoming An Advocate For Women In Surgery
Earlier this year, I saw an opportunity to volunteer at the Association of Women Surgeons Highschool Outreach Event. I have never before come across a formal mentorship program for women high school students during my medical schooling in my home country, India. This made me curious, and I was very enthusiastic to get involved and contribute. The day consisted of impactful events, including guidance on crafting stories, speed mentoring, a suture workshop, and exposure for the high school students to some of the conference events, such as the Keynote Address and the Starr Medical Student and Resident Research Forum. The crafting stories session was highly informative and offered one on one guidance to the students. Dr. T. Salewa Oseni, a prominent breast surgical oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, led the students through an engaging story about her path to medicine. She spoke of how she was sure about wanting to...
An Interplay Between Invisibility and Hypervisibility while Pursuing a Surgical Subspecialty
By Natalia G. Penaloza My latinidad in the context of pursuing a surgical subspecialty has made me both invisible and hyper-visible. As a Latina in an operating room with a thousand moving pieces, from ancillary staff turning-over a room in under 30 minutes, scrub technicians meticulously following the surgery anticipating the next instrument, to nurses ensuring the patients are safe and comfortable, I was often identified as one of these healthcare workers. I take pride in knowing that I share some of the same qualities as them; efficiency, attention to detail, and empathy. Still, it is often a surprise to many when I introduce myself as the medical student on the team. The hyper-visibility is accompanied by my continuous effort to ensure I know all the equipment, anatomy, steps, complications, follow-up treatments, to know it all. If I don’t, I will not have represented Latinas and women in medicine well....
Medicine is personal; deep down to your soul
By Anuja Mali “To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." – Ralph Waldo Emerson One of the truths about choosing to study Medicine is that, from the moment you decide to go down that road, you are bombarded with the same question. "Why medicine? You'd think that once you get into medical school, you'll never be asked that question ever again, but you are. I am a first-year medical student aspiring to become a surgeon. I know I know- SURGERY? And how are you so sure about it? You have just started your med school. You haven’t even seen the patients. Do you even know how much time and hard work it takes to become a well-renowned surgeon? So, how do I respond when people ask me if I'm scared about how long it takes to become a doctor? There's...
From Ecuador to Wisconsin, now a categorical surgical resident
By Gopika SenthilKumar I met Dr. Figueroa during his post-doctoral research work at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is part of a small group of international medical graduate (IMG) surgical residents who matched into a categorical position. In comparison, most IMG residents match into a one/two-year preliminary program. His story and advice will hopefully serve as an inspiration for future generations. Dr. Figueroa’s family played a huge role in his decision to pursue medicine and surgery. “Having my dad and grandfather both being surgeons, I was always surrounded by medicine since very early,” he says. “When I was 5 years old, I was driving around town with my grandpa, and suddenly he got a call to see a very sick patient in the ED. I remember entering the emergency department with him and waiting outside of the patient’s room. That day I felt deeply attracted by the hospital setting...
The journey back to the US for surgical residency
By Gopika SenthilKumar and Jamesa Fabien Dr. Anil Paramesh is a US citizen who was born in Detroit. He grew up there for eight years, after which his family moved back to India. He has numerous family members who are physicians and was exposed to medical specialties from a young age; this inspired him to pursue surgery. He says “this was because of the "quick-fix" mindset, where a surgeon sees a sick patient in the ER and is able to fix them immediately in the OR. The results of this “quick fix” become evident immediately. I also loved the experience of being in the OR right from the start.” He pursued the rest of his education, including his graduate medical training in India, and returned to the US for surgical residency. When asked if he considered returning to the US for medical school, he shares, “I did consider returning to...
International Medical Graduates in Surgery – Blog Series
By Gopika SenthilKumar and Jamesa Fabien An international medical graduate (IMG) is a physician who received their medical degree from a medical school located outside the United States and Canada that is not accredited by a U.S. accrediting body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, or the American Osteopathic Association. While some IMGs complete the entirety of medical school outside of the U.S and follow a different curriculum, some international medical graduates attend ‘Off Shore’ schools. These medical schools closely follow the curriculum of U.S medical schools; students complete two years of basic science study outside of the U.S (most often in the Caribbean) and complete their clinical training in teaching hospitals or clinics in the US, Canada, or sometimes the UK. In contrast to IMGs, international students from around the country can choose to pursue their undergraduate and medical education in the US. These students may seek visas to...
“Why is there a dentist in the operating room?”
By Juliana Gomez, DDS I loved dentistry. The autonomy of private practice, the (relatively) shorter training, the immediate gratification when you are able to fix a problem or alleviate someone’s pain in a single visit. My path was altered when I chose to pursue Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) residency—but I remember my time in dental school and the smiles that I fixed quite fondly. That being said, the last filling that I performed was in school about three years ago, and I do not exactly miss doing root canals. Dentists are experts in treatment of the mouth, where they cover an enormous range of disciplines- surgery, prevention, restoration, and preservation of the health of the oral cavity. We work closely, on occasion, with our dental colleagues. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons have a much different scope of practice than dentists. After graduating dental school (NYU 19’), I began an intern...
Medical students: The Happy AND Productive
By Oshadhi Rodrigo A happy AND productive medical student? Yes it’s possible, and no I’m not lying. Medical school can be tough. The long hours spent reading and the rest spent at the hospital can be exhausting at times, but you don’t have to put your happiness and mental health at stake to perform well! Here are my tips to accomplish both. Plan your week ahead and plan it smart! Write down your top priority goals for the week so you can allocate enough time to prepare for those. As your week goes by, have a mini task list for the day with not more than five things to do. Staying organized and being aware of your plans will give you mental clarity and it will keep you on top of your game! Find the time of day you have razor sharp focus. It can be any time of the...
What Do You Expect of You?
By Tiffany R. Sanchez & Angel D. Chavez Rivera As new leaders of the Association of Women Surgeons Chapter at San Juan Bautista School of Medicine in Puerto Rico, we asked for a lot of help from surgeon mentors. We wanted to put our best foot forward for our student group; as such, we set a goal to introduce our members to mentors willing to help students interested in surgical careers, and we made an effort to invite those with diverse backgrounds to the mentorship program. Our first speaker this year was Dr. Rose Lewis, a pioneer in plastic surgery. She is the first female, African-American plastic surgeon in the world. She attended the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 2.5 years. Then, she spent the following 8 years in graduate school, working in laboratories and other science-related positions. Afterward, Dr. Lewis went to medical school at University...
Writing a Blog Piece for AWS
By Alyssa Brown I blame Camila Guetter for my involvement with the Association of Women Surgeon’s Blog. Well, blame is too strong of a word. I should say I am lucky that Camila Guetter told me that the AWS blog was looking for new team members. This was back in 2018. I was finishing my third year, taking Step 2, and planning to move to Rochester, MN for my PhD. I had applied to be the Social Media representative of the AWS Medical Student Division, but I did not receive the position. She mentioned that the AWS Blog team needed some new members, so I jumped at the chance. I wanted to be more involved with AWS nationally. Third year of medical school had been difficult between surviving a tough surgery rotation, applying to a PhD program, and being a black cloud on every service. I had found solace in...
