Blog
Indignities in Medicine
I take orthopaedic call 2 to 3 times per month. We work a full day, then we are available all night, then we work a full day the following day. In my 20s this was tiring but invigorating. In my 30s this was doable, and balancing babies and a pager in the middle of the...
Between Generations in a Crisis of Volume
I have become a keeper of stories. And as I navigate the murky waters of the culture of Orthopaedic Surgery, I have become conflicted. I sit between generations of women and I am experiencing a crisis of my identity in terms of my volume. My burning...
I. Am. Getting. A. Divorce.
I am almost divorced. I thought about staying private about this. And I mostly have over the last 9 months. But here’s the thing… this decision is one of the best ones in my entire life. I have not been at all immune to the roller coaster of emotions. The last few...
A Surgeon Grieves the Loss of a Friend… Quietly
We are coming up for air after a year that defies description. Life as we know it has shifted forever for our generation. As a physician and orthopaedic surgeon, there are things that are ironically easy for me right now. Things like handling crises and emergencies,...
Coming of Age as a Woman in Surgery
I am a surgeon. A woman surgeon. And I’m pushing 50. To pile on, I am an Orthopaedic Surgeon, and only 6% of us are women. The vast majority (94%) of my field is made up of white (and some Asian) men. I grew up as a pleaser. That is actually a personality type. It...
Don’t Blame the Canary… The Coal Mine is Toxic
This week has been rough. Orthopaedic surgeons lost another great one to suicide. As we virtually support each other through our loss, we compare notes. Our profession is brutal. We all love what we signed up to do, take care of people who break bones and injure arms...
I Stand with My Sisters in Surgery
We will not stand to be judged This morning I posted the following on my social media accounts. So 3 male surgeons published an article about vascular surgeons and social media. They have the audacity to decide that it is inappropriate for women surgeons to...
Masks: Your Doctors Don’t Have Enough
I have an N-95 mask. Because one of my partners had the foresight to buy a pack on amazon a few weeks ago. The shortage of protection for doctors and nurses and people taking care of patients is real. The DMHC maintains that patients may be offered...
Let it be said that we tried to do what is right
Physicians are on the front line of this pandemic crisis. I am in a unique role as an orthopaedic surgeon. One of my friends said last week, “if anyone thinks that orthopaedic surgeons are going to be caring for patients with Corona virus, they are sadly mistaken.” ...
Ramona Quimby, FDR and My Daughter
Drive or fly? Although there never seems to be a right answer when planning a trip from southern to northern California, the answer after the trip is always quite clear. The answer is fly. We drove. Thanksgiving is the best holiday ever in our...
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