The Academic Surgeon - Official Blog of the AAS

One of the most common questions I receive from medical students and residents is about the value of obtaining a Master of Education. As education becomes a more common and visible pathway in academic surgery, the interest in attaining an advanced degree in education has increased. Trainees are curious about whether it would be worth …

“HCG: 9,567,” I read in awe. It was an exciting, yet inopportune time. I had already come to terms with not having children. Yet here I was, in my second year of medical school, pregnant. Well, I thought, I would take my step exam and start my third year in the fall. It wouldn’t be …

“I just need you to care!” I was a chief resident, and I was yelling.  The source of my righteous indignation is a long clinical story, but it boils down to the following principle: my patient’s concerns had been disregarded and they were sent home from the ER without a proper workup. It was now …

As a trainee, I had the unfortunate experience of receiving, coding, and calling time of death for a trauma patient that was also my friend. The experience was intensely traumatic, but as is often the case, I carried on for the rest of my shift as there were other patients who needed our help. I …

I was often intrigued by the number of conflict of interests listed on the disclosure slides at the beginning of the talks back in the days when I was a medical student and surgery resident. It gives the audience, or perhaps only me, an impression that the speakers must be influential figures in their respective …

I recently returned from my first in-person College of Surgeons of East, Central, and Southern Africa (COSECSA) annual meeting, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. For COSECSA members and trainees, the first week of December is notable each year for surgeons and residents from more than 14 African countries gathering for the annual fellowship-level exams, general …

I had not been an attending and operating for more than a few months before the insidious onset of pesky pains in the shoulder, elbow, and wrist of my dominant arm. Initially, I figured out “workarounds” to minimize or avoid painful movements and positions when possible, and pushed through the pain when unavoidable. I acquired …