reflection
How the Joy of Volunteering Molds the Student Doctor
By Isabelle Casado Christmastime came around—I must have been about 8-years-old. My father had been collecting toys throughout the year. I remember watching him, month after month, quietly putting aside a little something here and a little something there. You can only imagine my excitement as an 8-year-old who thought she hit the ultimate gift lotto. Except—something better was soon about to happen. One evening, my father sat me down and said, ‘’Today, I am Santa’s helper. We’re going to an orphanage to deliver these gifts.” A few days before Christmas, we arrived at the orphanage. I remember seeing so many children around my age. We played, we danced, and we opened presents together. It wasn’t until years later that I truly understood the gift my father gave me that day: the joy of volunteering. Every year afterward, we volunteered together—at children’s hospitals, veteran centers, orphanages, and in various efforts...
Cutting Through Grief: How Surgery Helped Me Reclaim My Strength
By Meaghan Bethea The first time I stepped into the operating room after my husband died, I wasn’t sure I could do it. Everything felt too raw. Too loud. Too precise for a mind muddied by grief. The sterile light above the surgical table illuminated more than just anatomy; it revealed the parts of me I had been trying to keep buried. Heartbreak. Fear. Uncertainty. I was scrubbed in, masked up, holding retractors with steady hands, but inside, I was anything but that. In the summer of 2023, I had just completed medical sciences, passed Step 1, and was preparing to start clinical rotations. At home, my husband and I had found a rhythm. He managed the household so I could pursue my dream with full focus. We were building a life together with our son. Then, suddenly and without warning, two weeks before third year, he died. I became...
Operating Through Loss
By: Wissam Benhami Content Note: This post contains discussion of pregnancy loss, a topic that may be difficult for some readers. It was a Thursday afternoon when I walked out of the OR and drove straight to my gynecologist. The room was quiet and I let myself believe this was just another routine visit. My mind was already on the weekend ahead. He shifted the probe once, twice, and finally stopped. His voice was quiet, almost apologetic. There was no heartbeat. I nodded as he spoke, but his words dissolved before they reached me. I left the office with the image burned into my mind, a still, motionless curve on the screen and a weight in my body that felt both heavy and hollow. The next morning was Friday. A patient we had operated on the day before needed her discharge. I hadn’t slept a single hour. My eyes were...
How to Be an Ally
By Cori DeLisi, DO On May 28, AWS came together with the Association of Out Surgeons and Allies in our Cutting-Edge Conversations webinar to answer the question “How can we be allies to the LGBTQ+ community as trainees and surgeons?” If you identify as an ally because you implicitly support your LGBTQ+ patients and colleagues, consider what others see of your allyship and how far your impact reaches. Here we expand on the webinar’s takeaways for AWS members with added perspectives from Dr. DeLisi, a trainee who has been on both sides of allyship around sexual and gender minority identities. I’m Cori (they/them), a general surgery intern in Pennsylvania. After coming out as non-binary in medical school, I faced this dichotomy of trying to introduce myself with my pronouns while also feeling worried about shifting the conversation away from patients, learning, or healthcare in general. After excluding my pronouns from...
A Journey Inside the U.S. Healthcare System as an IMG
By Andrea Iturralde, MD I want to start with: What is an International Medical Graduate (IMG)? An IMG is someone who received their medical training outside the United States and wants to pursue a medical residency in the United States. When I think about navigating the U.S. healthcare system as an IMG, many challenges come to mind. First, I want to focus on one of the biggest difficulties: moving to a new country. This transition can be overwhelming. You’re not just learning a new healthcare system, you’re also adapting to an entirely new life. Renting a house, handling paperwork, even opening a bank account—these are all tasks you must complete before you can even think about practicing medicine. Once you’re established, it’s important to recognize that the healthcare system may work differently from that of your home country. For example, in the U.S., nurse practitioners and physician assistants play key...
Healing Hands: Crafting Care from Medicine to Lei Making
By: Jamie McDermott “May day is Lei Day in Hawaii nei” is a saying that rings through the air every May 1st in Hawaii. Have you ever seen visitors wearing flowers around their necks? Or noticed hula dancers draped in floral designs at a luau? What is the history? In 1923, the Hawaiʻi Territorial Legislature passed Joint Resolution No. 1, recognizing floral emblems. This resolution aimed to designate the hibiscus (aloalo) as the official flower emblem of the territory. Their argument succeeded by drawing on the widely accepted association between specific colors, lei, and their corresponding islands. As time passed, more people started wearing leis on May 1, giving rise to the tradition of “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii.” Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when large gatherings were limited, the island community found creative ways to honor this uniquely Hawaiian celebration. What is a lei? A lei is...
Permission to Pause
by Dr. Trisha Lal Like many general surgery residents, I’ve opted to pursue two years of academic development during my training. After two clinical years, I recently completed my first research year. It was a year of growth and learning – learning how to do research, and also, unexpectedly, learning how to rest. When I transitioned into research last July, I was genuinely elated at the idea of a slower pace. I pictured sunlit mornings with coffee and breakfast, focused work sessions, and midday walks. I told myself I would paint again. But instead, my days looked eerily familiar: I woke up early, jumped straight into work, ate lunch at my desk, and felt restless if I shut my laptop at 6 p.m. I realized, quickly and uncomfortably, that I didn’t know how to not be busy. After two years on the clinical grind, during which I spent 12-14 hours...
Applying the Growth Mindset in Surgery
By Fara Bellows In surgery, the only constant is change. With each passing milestone in our careers, we encounter new challenges, new demands, and new surroundings. We also face novelty within clinical medicine: the literature is always growing, new technologies and techniques arise, and practice changes can seemingly come out of nowhere. Surgeons tend to be perfectionists. We strive to do our best and to deliver exceptional patient care. But we are human, and as humans, we are never perfect at something the first time we do it. So it can be difficult to stray from our comfort zone and incorporate new techniques into our toolbox, perhaps due to fear of failure or fear of the unknown. It can also be painful to experience patient-related complications and struggle with learning curves. However, we cannot shy away from novel therapies or ideas. We must embrace novelty: a successful career relies on...
What Transition Taught Me About Gender, Power, and Medicine
By Jailyn Avila, MD, FP-AEMUS, RDMS One afternoon, when I was a young attending at a large academic center, I was paged to the trauma bay to receive a patient in traumatic shock. Our team of 10-15 multidisciplinary medical professionals assembled in the trauma room as the medics wheeled our patient in, solely focused on saving the patient's life. Immediately after the medics brought the patient into our trauma area, my senior resident asked for the patient's history, after which the medic paused and stated, “You have really pretty hair.” My senior resident then politely asked the medic to continue their report, ignoring the inappropriate and unprofessional comment. After stabilization and disposition, I attempted to locate the man who had been so inappropriate with my resident, but his team had already departed. I circled back with my resident, who acknowledged the experience and how inappropriate it was, but she informed...
Preserving Hobbies
by Olivia T. Zhou To me, the age-old adage of “you can’t pour from an empty cup” holds especially true today. Medicine is a deeply meaningful but often all-consuming career. The intensity of training, long hours, and emotional demands can easily displace relationships, hobbies, and interests that once brought joy and balance. Because of these challenges, maintaining a connection to a life outside of medicine is particularly essential. Hobbies can offer space for self-expression, stress relief, and identity beyond our professional roles as physicians. Most of us know that participating in creative or physical activities can improve well-being, build resilience, and reduce burnout, but we often struggle with consistency and upkeep. However, even a modest investment can provide noticeable benefits. Here are some strategies that have helped me preserve my hobbies throughout my training so far: Schedule dedicated time: Blocking off regular time for a hobby, just like scheduling other...
