Undergraduate: University of Georgia, 2006
Medical School: Medical College of Georgia, 2011
Residency: WashU Medicine, 2015
Fellowship in Pain Medicine: WashU Medicine, 2016
What have you done since residency?
After residency, I stayed at WashU for a year and completed a pain medicine fellowship. The fellowship offers exposure to a broad range of complex pain conditions and large volume of procedures. After fellowship, I joined a private practice in Nashville, TN, for seven years. It was a change of pace, and I learned a lot during the time. In 2023, I returned to WashU and St. Louis with my family. Since returning, I’ve enjoyed melding experiences in both academic medicine and private practice.
How did WashU’s residency program prepare you for your practice?
The breadth/complexity of patients allowed me to be comfortable transitioning to independent practice. I felt I had a strong foundation of knowledge and felt comfortable with my procedural skills. Given how busy the large number of pain faculty are, as a resident I got to do many procedures. Without this exposure, I likely never would have considered subspecializing in pain medicine. The large group of faculty also offers a wide range of perspectives on patient care, allowing you to form you own practice style. You will also be surrounded by a diverse and brilliant group of people who will be lifelong colleagues.
What advice would you give to applicants?
Choose a program where you will have good exposure to all the facets of anesthesiology. Look for programs that have strong fellowships in all or most of the subspecialities. Due to my experiences, I certainly walked away from residency in a subspeciality I had no idea I would end up pursuing. Future plans/goals are great to have but keep an open mind.
Four years of residency may seem like a long time, but in hindsight it will seem like a second. Make the most of your time learning from others with such broad experience. Work hard, appreciate the challenging cases (even the overnight urgent cardiac case or transplant), and volunteer for the cases you may not look forward to. You will walk away confident and competent.
Choose a program/location that supports you outside of work. Residency can be hard, optimize your life outside of it. This certainly means different things to different people, but it is definitely important to be mindful of when you choose a program.