women
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,...
Diversify Ourselves
By Dr. Chantal Reyna How well would you handle not being able to perform surgery anymore? The real question is “How much of your identity is based on being a surgeon?” We tend to define ourselves by our professions. Our profession has been a large part of our identity. We have dedicated our formative years to this profession. When we lose our profession, we lose a part of ourselves. It is a void; it is a hollowing. How can we put ourselves in a position where we still recognize ourselves if we lose a piece of our identity? Resilience is the answer. Resilience is flexibility. Resilience is adapting to unexpected changes, stressors, or adversity. Resilience is strengthened by diversifying ourselves and can be learned. We are the sum of many parts. Think about jigsaw puzzles or impressionist artwork. Each individual piece combines and interacts to build a structure that is...
Closing the Gap: An Interview with Dr. Adela Casas-Melley
By Ellen Basile, DO; Adrianna Gatt, MD; Laura Merlano, MS-III Leadership and pay gender gaps are current and necessary topics for women in medicine. Recent studies have shown a pay difference of up to $2.5 million between male and female physicians over a career amongst surgical specialists, and only 7% of U.S. surgical department chairs are occupied by women based on a 2020 study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5461563/ https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00461 Why women may lag professionally is the focus of many studies; reasons cited include gender bias, family obligations, and lack of support. In January 2023, we interviewed Dr. Adela Casas, Chair of the Surgery Department and Surgeon-in-Chief at Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, to discuss her journey in medicine, her rise in pediatric surgery, and academic leadership. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2769902 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5461563/ Dr. Casas immigrated to the United States with her parents from Cuba at four years of age. By the time she was eight years old,...
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...
Creating an Inclusive Surgical Community: Association of Out Surgeons & Allies
When I was asked to write a piece describing who the Association of Out Surgeons & Allies (AOSA https://www.outsurgeons.org/) is for the Association of Women Surgeons (AWS) blog, I paused. I hesitated because the answer seemed so simple, but complex. Members of AOSA are your: fellow surgeons, patients, mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, and friends. We represent an often overlooked minority group that faces discrimination for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ+) identities but also cumulatively experience gender discrimination, sexual harassment and encounter unique vulnerabilities within healthcare. Many of us belong to more than one marginalized group, and most have encountered discrimination throughout our lives, during surgical training, and in our careers. The AOSA is a group of LGBTQ+ surgeons and LGBTQ+ allies of our community, who are connected to support one another and to try to close the existing knowledge and discrimination gap. The need for such an organization...
5 reasons I pursued an executive MBA and how it has helped me so far.
Heather Yeo, MD, MHS, MBA, MS Having recently (2019) completed an executive masters in business administration (MBA) program, I often get asked about why I pursued one in the first place, if I would recommend doing one, and how it has helped me so far. While there are many reasons for doing an MBA as a health professional, for me the decision was primarily focused on where I wanted my career to go and what I thought would be important to me, as I matured as a surgical attending. The top 5 reasons I pursued an executive MBA are: I wanted to set myself up for success. As a woman in academic medicine, I know that a future in leadership is challenging as most recent data show that Full Professors of Surgery who are women make up only 5 % of the workforce. I felt that by getting and MBA...
What does being a surgical patient with limited English proficiency in the U.S. look like?
By Gabriela Brandão, MD Have you imagined yourself under the surgeon's knife? It might be a terrifying circumstance even for us, right? Now, can you imagine yourself under the surgeon's knife but in a place where nobody speaks your language? You would have no idea what's happening with your health in that room... It would probably be an intense fear of death. That scenario is not just a fictional horror movie story, unfortunately. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 25 million people in the United States speak English "less than very well." Many of them have very limited or no understanding of English. We have already faced or will definitely meet those patients throughout our surgical careers. We seek to provide the highest quality of care possible for all of our patients. Addressing language barriers in health, medicine, and surgery is urgently needed. Let's think together about their main...
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...
