“Having mentorship and sponsorship are commonly discussed as keys for success in a medical career. But, if I had to choose what is most important in a medical career, I would choose friendship. My mentors have given me great opportunities that have shaped my career as a trauma surgeon, but it is my friends that helped me through the everyday. Our friends and family outside of medicine may try, but they cannot truly understand what we are going through at times. I’ve been lucky to have my friends as colleagues and as co-residents. I have a strong group of female surgeon friends that have gone through the many stages of life with me. We have been through medical school, residency, first jobs, marriages, pregnancies, and rising children together. They have also been there when I’ve lost patients, had a rough day, needed encouragement, or needed retail therapy and a good pedicure. I joke about #surgbff and #surglife, but it is important to have a network of people who support each other. My work life balance is that I’m surrounded by a group of people who support one another both at work and at home.
Residency wasn’t easy, but it gave us a strong foundation for being competent, adaptable, and resilient surgeons. And It’s important to know that you keep learning, even after residency. My mentors have given me many opportunities in the last ten years that have shaped my career today. I think the key to building a career is that opportunities may not always align with what you “want” to do at the time it is presented to you. But true mentors help steer you in a way that helps to build your career. Ten years ago, I was given the opportunity to help shape the Pediatric Trauma and Burn Program in South Texas with the goal of obtaining an ACS accredited Level I Pediatric Trauma Program. To a young surgeon just finishing fellowship, this was a daunting task, one that I thought I would/might be ready for maybe in 5 years. But not right out of fellowship. Nonetheless, my mentors encouraged me to take on the opportunity. So I did. With the work of a large team of people and many coordinated partnerships, a Level I Pediatric Trauma Program, the first in South Texas, was accredited by the American College of Surgeons. I am incredibly proud of the small part I contributed in the process. And I would not have been able to complete this journey without my friends being there with me every step of the way.
The most important thing I have learned is that when opportunities are presented to you, you should say yes even when you aren’t comfortable with taking on the task. You may not know the spectrum of what you are capable of. You should also trust yourself enough to know when and how to ask for help. And while your mentors can give you opportunities, it is your friends, who help you complete the journey!”
Story: Amita Shah, Photos: Sujaan Lal
Our ACS Level I Pediatric Trauma Program took care of the critically injured children from the Sutherland Springs Mass Shooting on November 5th, 2017.