For Residents

You're in the hardest part. What you're feeling is not a sign that something is wrong with you.

Residency is a system designed to push past what's comfortable — and it doesn't always distinguish between what makes you a better surgeon and what simply makes you more compliant. The work here is for those who want to stay awake to the difference. Who want to become excellent without losing themselves in the process.

Start here

The essay that names it

This piece was written from inside training — not from the other side, looking back with tidy lessons. It's about what it actually costs, and what makes it worth it anyway.

What the Lotus Holds On transformation, surviving hard things, and the possibility of becoming something meaningful from what was never meant to be easy.
On identity and belonging

Who belongs here — and what it costs when the answer is unclear

The question of who belongs in surgery is not settled. These projects exist because it needed to be asked out loud — and because the asking itself changes something.

#ILookLikeASurgeon The movement that started with a tweet and became a global conversation about representation, identity, and who gets to see themselves in this profession. Neurodiversity in Surgery On thinking differently inside a field that rewards conformity — and why that difference is worth protecting. Surgical Identity Research The data behind the culture — on stereotypes, the surgeon image, and what changes when representation expands.
On the culture inside the OR

Naming what's usually left unnamed

The culture of surgery shapes what's possible — what gets said, who gets heard, what counts as excellence. These are the conversations trying to make that culture visible so it can be examined and changed.

#UnmaskMedicine A growing conversation about what medicine asks of those inside it — and what it might look like rebuilt with more honesty and humanity. Social Media in Medicine Research On how digital communities have changed what's possible for connection, advocacy, and voice inside surgery.
On communication and care

The part of surgery no one teaches formally

Listening, presence, and honest conversation are clinical skills — not soft add-ons. These essays and resources are for residents who already sense that, and want to develop it deliberately.

Surgical Palliative Care: Healing Beyond the Operating Room On what surgery can offer beyond cure — and why thinking about this early makes you a better surgeon throughout your career. Books, Podcasts & Professional Communities Curated resources for residents who want to go deeper — on communication, culture, and the human experience of care.
Connect

You are not alone in this

Residency can be isolating in ways that are hard to describe to anyone outside it. If something here resonated, or if you want to talk about any of it — I mean that genuinely.

Get in touch Whether you have a question, want to share something, or just need someone who gets it — reach out.
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