By Anna Hargrave, DO
This past August, we had an incredible series of lectures and panel groups discussing “The Fourth Trimester and Beyond.” The Fourth Trimester is the twelve week period after giving birth, which is particularly critical to all of our women surgeons. The demands of a new baby compete with clinical responsibilities and career goals, and become challenging to balance. While this series was aimed to female surgeons starting or expanding families, the lessons I learned can be applied to all female surgeons including those without children. Some of my key reflections from the month of Surgeons’ Career and Leadership Professional Education Lecture Series (SCALPELS) are shared with you in the following paragraphs. To learn more from these phenomenal female surgeons, you can tune into the recorded August lectures!
Dr. Amy Vertrees, a general surgeon and veteran who served 17 years with deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, joined us on August 15th, 2024. She shared how the roles of a mother and surgeon require constant reevaluation. With these reevaluations, it is important to acknowledge and manage the emotions appropriately, as you will likely feel overwhelmed or guilty for disappointing someone. She also provided clear instructions on how to set boundaries with an example, as this is a concept often discussed but never as clear as her explanation!
Note: Dr. Vertrees is also known for creating the BOSS Business of Surgery Series, a multifaceted company that has a podcast, blog, and coaching series. Her website (https://www.bosssurgery.com/site/about) is a great resource that I encourage you to check out.
Dr. Sonya Sloan is an orthopedic surgeon, philanthropist, and author of The Rules of Medicine, and spoke on August 22nd, 2024. She gave stellar advice on how to establish a healthy support network (including a therapist!), as this will advance our professional and personal lives (in the Fourth Trimester and Beyond). Her emphasis on mental health was appreciated, as the challenges for women in surgery are endless. Bonus – her advice on how to network at conferences was phenomenal!
Our panel on August 8th, 2024 was filled with 3 amazing role models, Drs. Maria Altieri, Randaline Barnett, and Caitlin Halbert.
Dr. Altieri is a minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon and the section chief of GI Surgery and Director of Bariatric Surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania in addition to being a mother of 4. She provided some insider tips on how to build your support network and find childcare as a busy surgeon with multiple kids in different cities! She also discussed the importance of outsourcing, without guilt, as you cannot be everywhere at once, and must let go of your own unrealistic expectations.
Dr. Barnett advocates for women in neurosurgery and more accessible healthcare, as she is a neurosurgeon-farmer in Kentucky. Recently, she completed a pediatric neurosurgery fellowship while raising her young daughter. I appreciated her advice: give yourself some grace while focusing more on what fills your cup. She discussed how surgical training is filled with seasons of hard work and moments of difficulty but also so many amazing moments, and this reflection will help keep your perspective as you enter challenging moments of training.
Dr. Halbert, an accomplished bariatric and foregut surgeon and the president of Women’s Leadership in Surgery, emphasized that you are not defined by your career choice. You can be a mom, a daughter, a surgeon, a person with hobbies outside of the professional realm. Each of these roles requires your time and you will never be equally good at them all at once, but this helps provide perspective and cope with difficult cases and challenging work situations.
In summary, all of our speakers and panelists provided insight into balancing the demands of a growing family and the clinical responsibilities of a surgeon. We learned the importance of setting boundaries, building a healthy support network, and outsourcing tasks. Also, this series reminded me of an important message: give yourself some grace and remember that you are not defined solely by your career successes or failures. I hope you all take advantage of these recorded lectures and learn from these phenomenal talented women surgeons!
Anna Hargrave, DO
Dr. Anna Hargrave is a current preliminary general surgery resident at SSM Health Saint Louis University and completed medical school at University of Pikeville, Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine. She enjoys exploring new coffee shops and listening to audiobooks and true crime podcasts!