Dear Pat, I was scrubbed in a case in the OR last week and my attending seemed to be very upset with me. Nothing in particular had happened, and I couldn't identify what the problem was. She and I...
It’s Dear Pat’s anniversary! This month marks the one-year anniversary of the #DearPat column, which was created in 2018 as a collaborative effort between the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) R...
Dear Pat, A patient that I had been following for several weeks died a few days ago, and I can't seem to stop feeling upset about it. I talked about it with my colleague and he told me to...
Dear Pat, I went to see a consult the other day in the ED, and the patient kindly informed me that he wanted a different doctor because he felt that "women can't be real doctors." I was so mortif...
Dear Pat, Many of my male faculty have suggested that I find a female mentor to help me with career development. However, we have a handful of female faculty at my program, and I do not have a clos...
Dear Pat, I am a second-year general surgery resident interested in a surgical oncology fellowship. I come from a community general surgery program without the opportunity for basic science research ...
Dear Pat, I am a junior general surgery resident rotating at a new hospital. No matter if I’m wearing my badge which says MD in large letters or my white coat which also says MD on it, patients a...
Dear Pat, I’m a second-year surgery resident and somewhat older than my co-residents. I am considering getting pregnant during residency, but I am unsure if my co-residents will be supportive. I ...
Dear Pat, My intern is a tall, white male. Every morning on rounds I introduce myself as the Chief Resident and state the roles of everyone on the team. However, patients continue to direct their q...