Undergraduate: Duke University, 2009, B.S. Biological Anthropology
Medical School: University of Chicago, 2013
Residency: WashU Medicine, 2017
Fellowship in Critical Care: WashU Medicine, 2018
What have you done since residency?
After residency, I stayed on at WashU Medicine and completed a fellowship in critical care. It was an incredible, but challenging year spent with my favorite attendings taking care of the hospital’s sickest patients. After completing my fellowship, I took a partnership track position with a large private practice group in my hometown of Orlando, Florida.
As is typical with private practice, my day-to-day work life is extremely varied and covers the entire breadth of anesthesia practice. On any given day I could be in the cardiac ORs doing a double valve replacement, in the ortho ORs taking care of pediatric patients and doing nerve blocks, or in the neuro ORs doing a craniotomy for aneurysm clipping. Sometimes that can all happen in one day. My work definitely keeps me on my toes.
How did WashU’s residency program prepare you for your practice?
My current hospital system’s acuity is very similar to WashU. It is a large, tertiary center that does transplants, VADs, ECMO, and anything else you could imagine. Having trained at WashU has meant that, while I am still learning every day, I never encounter something I have not come across at least once or twice before. Having such a depth of experience to draw from has made the transition to being an attending much smoother and has helped me start off on the right foot with my new group. The excellent clinical exposure at WashU is well known nationally in both academic and community settings and opened many doors for me as I sought fellowship positions and employment. Within a few days of submitting my CV for my current position, a senior partner with the group I was applying to sent me a text offering me an interview. He had heard positive feedback about me from one of my WashU attendings he knew from his time as a WashU trainee.
What advice would you give to applicants?
Even more so than medical school, your choice of residency can have an enormous impact on your career trajectory going forward. Make sure to choose a residency that provides you with a high level of exposure to all subspecialties of anesthesiology, as you will not know what you like until you try it. Come into training with an open mind, and try to see and do as much as you can. Push yourself to take electives and gain exposure in things you do not like as much or do not see yourself doing later on because you never know when those skills may benefit you and your patients down the line. Finally, find the time to build relationships with your co-residents and seek mentorship relationships with attendings. These bonds will help you weather the storms of residency and help sustain you both personally and professionally for the rest of your career.