self-care
Self-Advocacy as a Trainee: The Grace to Grow
Author: Rosmi Thomas, DO As a child, I grew up in a chaotic household, but it brought me resilience and a strong sense of self. In my youngest years, we lived in an extended family home, and my older cousin was one of my first role models. Despite the 15-year age difference, she took me under her wing and provided insight on self-respect that few young people are fortunate enough to grasp. She was the first person to open my eyes to the concept of advocating for myself, and she taught me the power behind asking for what you deserve. Her genuine ability to remind you that you are deeply loved, and her persuasive charm, taught me the first and most important lesson of self-advocacy: you must know your worth. As an osteopathic medical student, I was advised on the advantages and limitations of pursuing a surgical residency. As a...
We Plant Surgical Flowers When We Choose Joy and Mentorship in Challenging Times
Author: Dr. Christine Castater This is a special edition blog post presented in partnership with the Society of Black Academic Surgeons in celebration of Black History Month. It is both easy and reflexive to wake up in the morning by focusing on the weight of the socio-political climate pressing down on us. The news cycle moves fast. The commentary is loud. Social media is everywhere. The divisions feel deep. As surgeons and trainees, we are not immune to all of this because we live in it, we train in it, and we lead in it. I want to offer a different viewpoint. What if, instead of orienting ourselves around what feels broken, we orient ourselves around what is extraordinary? We are living and working in a time when technology makes it possible to share knowledge instantly across continents. We can increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to guide learning, workup, and...
Empathy in Medical Training: Lessons from Illness
By Maria Jimena Barroso Alverde When I was little, I honestly believed I had a sixth sense. I’d get this knot in my stomach, or a rush in my chest, and I was convinced something big was about to happen. I didn’t know the word for it back then, anxiety, but it has shaped the way I experience the world. It has made me sensitive, alert, and made me always pay attention to the things few people seem to notice. I didn’t know then, but those sensations were my very first lessons in empathy. Years later, during medical school, life gave me the lesson I never asked for but somehow needed. At 22, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. One moment I was learning to use an ultrasound; the next, I was staring at an image that changed my entire life. Suddenly, I wasn’t the student standing confidently beside the...
Show Up for Yourself: A Message to Women Surgeons Living with Disability
By Dr. Elizabeth Perazza Imagine ringing in the New Year, celebrating 25 years as a successful surgeon. You place a ruby-studded tiara on your head, proud to be 55 years old, 30 pounds lighter, and stepping into your power as Queen Bee—the new sheriff in town. Among over 100 surgeons, OR nurses, and technicians, you stand tall as the next Chief of Surgery. Then, six months later, everything changes. You begin to feel as though you’re slipping away—paralyzed, bedridden, and mentally foggy. You’re dizzy even while lying down. A tingling sensation creeps from your mouth to your toes. Your eyes hurt to open, and you feel exhausted just from breathing. You’re disoriented whether your eyes are open or closed. You undergo a spinal tap, waiting anxiously for results. Then the diagnosis comes: Multiple Sclerosis. Positive oligoclonal bands confirm it. That day, I became another name on the list of those...
I am Superwoman, I can do it all, but should I?
By Dr. Ashley Toussaint Since I was young, I’ve been called a “workhorse.” I’m the one people rely on to get things done, to do more, be more. If something needs to be handled, I’m your woman. That mentality has pushed me through life, and it has served me well. I was a Division 1 athlete in college, then went to medical school, and now, I’m a general surgery resident. That same mentality has carried me through my residency, too. I’ve had two kids while in residency and am currently expecting my third. I delivered both of my children the same day I worked at 40+ weeks pregnant, 18 months apart. I managed to breastfeed and pump for both of my daughters for over a year each. It wasn’t always easy, pumping while rounding on patients, operating, even driving to work. There were days when I did laparoscopic and robotic...
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...
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...
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...
Stitch by Stitch
By Tala AbedalqaderI’ve always found a certain sense of purpose in using my hands. Whether it’s an embroidery thread sliding through fabric or suture material passing through layers of skin, I found that there’s a rhythm and purpose that drives me. Whether it’s art or surgery, my hands are driven by the same intention – to create and repair.Crocheting, embroidery, and sketching were creative outlets I picked up in medical school that gave me a sense of peace and the opportunity to relieve stress. As I grew more interested in surgery, I started to notice how these hobbies weren’t just therapeutic, but they were also shaping my skills in meaningful ways. The dexterity I harbored from manipulating threaded needles and hooks granted me with fine motor skills that I would use, first in simulation, then in the operating room. Similarly, sketching proved to be an excellent and highly useful skill...
Visibility and Possibility
This is a special edition blog post presented in partnership with the Association of Out Surgeons and Allies in celebration of Pride Month. By: Aeryn Kangas-Dick MD I knew I was transgender since I was a child, but I never had the language to say what that meant. All I knew was what I saw on television— transgender people were often played for comic relief, or sometimes for shock value. Role models were few and very far between, and I had certainly never heard of a transgender surgeon. During my planned research year between my second and third years of surgical training, I was called to serve as an ICU resident during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. As many did after confronting the horrors of this experience, I realized I didn’t want to spend more time pretending to be something I wasn’t. However I was...
