Residency Blog Posts

Welcome to Multi-D, where I interview colleagues in different specialties. We’ll explore common specialty misconceptions, and ask–what do you wish other specialties knew about yours?Today we’re joined by Maheetha Bharadwaj, who specializes in urology!

Residency was never designed with lactating physicians in mind–nor should it be. We're certainly the minority. As medical education and training evolve, it's time to make breastfeeding "okay" for residents. 

Sitting in a Paris café, listening to Samiya describe a different world: one where residents are not crushed, where surgeons have time to think, where rest is designed rather than stolen, our conversation led to the simple realization...

Beneath the victory lap in some of these “I proved them wrong” videos lies a deeper nuance worth unpacking: first, the trap of building your choices around “proving them wrong,” and second, the role of a good mentor: someone who tells it like it is and gives balanced guidance, even when the odds are steep.

Even though I won’t be an attending until my late 30s, I don’t consider myself “behind” by any measure. Focusing on what I value, rather than chasing what’s conventional, has made this journey deeply rewarding.

Because somewhere between the exhaustion and the uncertainty, there’s still that quiet spark — the one that made me want to do this in the first place.

Welcome to Multi-D Specialty Board, where I interview colleagues in different specialties. We’ll explore common specialty misconceptions, and ask - what do you wish other specialties knew about yours?

When I applied to Family Medicine, the hardest part was narrowing down over 700 programs.‍ For dermatology, the hardest part was the math: a match rate under 50%, and even lower for prior-year graduates.

Ever since I started sharing my journey switching residencies, the number one question I receive is: “How did you tell your program director? And how did they react?” 

When my patients left with new diagnoses, I sometimes felt like I had drained the joy out of their visit. That’s when I started questioning whether I could do this work for the rest of my career.

When I think of that first month, I don’t remember the chaos of lists or the panic of conversions. I remember the registrar handing me a flat white, the phrase “soft seven” curling into the air like steam. It turns out not everything has to begin with a jolt.

How did I make this decision feel less overwhelming? By breaking down these daunting, existential questions (Am I wasting years of my life away? What happens if I don’t match?) into concrete yes/no questions. 

I think of how many of them disappeared behind their own eyes. And how normal it was to watch them go. I couldn’t bear to be another one of the gone. So I boarded a plane, crossing hemispheres and seasons, holding only this hope.

High-achieving women are familiar with facing challenges, and pursue them without hesitation. However, the reality is that dating should be the opposite of this. There is no challenge that needs to be pursued - no nosebleed that we must stop.

Acne carries a huge psychosocial burden and is linked to higher rates of depression and anxiety, so offhand comments can be damaging and can deter talented medical students from applying to dermatology. This was almost the case for me.

If a resident is having a rough time, the classic advice is to ‘keep your head down and wait it out.’ But is that all that a resident can do? Does that advice help when dealing with complicated interpersonal issues either relating to attendings in the department, consulting services, or staff and nurses? Having an understanding of people’s motivations and the way in which they are viewed by an organization at large can help someone at the resident level navigate this complicated world and better position themselves to come out relatively unscathed on the other side.

This is the part of the story most people don’t talk about. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) still carries a brutal stigma, even though it can be lifesaving. This is one of the most honest accounts you’ll ever read: not just about ECT, but about the fear of losing your mind, your work, and your place in the world. And what happens when you start to come back.

We talk about mental health in medicine, but too often reduce it to faceless data points. Pediatric intensivist Juliana Romano, MD, reminds us that behind every statistic is a name, and behind each one is a story. A story about what it means to speak up or stay silent. To reach for help or disappear. To choose to live. This is hers.

Weighing the pros and cons of refinancing student loans during training, offering guidance on when it makes financial sense.

A resident reflects on the mental health crisis in medicine - exploring stigma, burnout, and how to build a culture that supports physician well-being.

An OB/GYN resident shares the emotional and professional challenges of balancing medicine and motherhood - and how each role deepens the other.