Officially a 5th Year Plastic Surgeon (In Training)!!!!

Officially a 5th year Plastic Surgery Resident!!!!

Ah, the happiness I feel when I log in to type up a blog post is unmatched! In trying to keep up with social media and what people want to see, I think I somehow forgot that the whole point of documenting my journey is so that I can have something to look back on to make ME happy. So with that being said, I'm glad to be back on this platform, and this post will pretty much be a recap on how the first half of this year has went for me. 

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JANUARY

I always consider January to be the best month because it's my birthday month, but this year it came with a little extra flair as I took on the role of becoming a (short-lived) professional model for Hypothesis Scrubs. So to give a little backstory, a production company reached out to me last September to do a major campaign for NYC healthcare professionals. As I am Miami-based, I politely declined, but told them to please let me know if anything arose in my area. Imagine my surprise when they reached out again in late December for a campaign in Miami! I scheduled my Zoom meeting with the company for early January, and I remember the interview vividly because even though I had scheduled it for late that evening, I was still in the middle of operating when it came close to my interview time. Luckily, I have an amazing attending who let me scrub out to take the meeting. It was quick and I wasn't sure if I would be picked, but about 2 weeks later I received the message that I was in and was given shoot dates for the end of the month. Of course, I had to ask permission to leave work for one day of filming, but considering that my residency pay is extremely low and this would pay more than I make in a month for only one day of work, I jumped on it without hesitation!

The shoot day was super fun. We started bright and early at around 530am, and I had both a hair and make up artist. I had already done my fitting during the weekend, so I knew what I would be wearing and how it would fit. Not even gonna lie, I hate paying for scrubs (especially when I'm in hospital-issued scrubs 95% of the time), but their scrubs fit and felt so good that I am still considering buying a few pair of my own. But anyway, back to the shoot. There was an entire crew and we filmed at the University of Miami, so there were demo operating rooms and patient rooms ready to go. As this was my first time doing anything modeling related, I had to get used to the lingo (ie reset means go back and do the same exact thing over again), but I loved seeing myself on the screens. Plus, the Amiga Studio production staff were all incredible. We shot videos and still shots and they all came out amazing! Click the pic above to watch the extended YouTube video and let me know what you think :) And if you'd like to buy a pair, feel free to check out the link HERE.

 

As for other photo shoots in January, I had always wanted to do a birthday one, so I did just that! I loved being a model and got some great shots. The crazy thing is that I had a really bad allergic reaction that caused my lips to swell up the day prior, and even though it was improving, my lips were still pretty swollen during my shoot so I received a ton of questions asking if I got fillers, lol. Nope! I just really wanted to do my photo shoot and wasn't going to let a little swelling stop my shine 😂 Overall, I ended up having a great birthday experience, and January was a fun month to ring in Chapter 38.

FEBRUARY

  

February also had it's fun and new adventures. I was with the same plastic surgery attending as the previous month, and he had just launched his new vitality drink, EUROKY, so of course there was a launch party. The party took place during my birthday weekend, so I counted it as a celebration for me since I wasn't allowed any time off for a real vacation. It was a great time and I actually enjoy the drink, so if you're into vitality energy drinks with a great taste and no jitters (I am extremely caffeine-sensitive, but this doesn't have a bad affect on me), then head over to Amazon and buy today!

I was also invited to VCOM-Virginia as part of the William G Anderson, DO Black History Month Keynote Speaker Series, and it was such an honor to speak with the students and staff of this wonderful institution! Getting to Blacksburg, VA was a bit of a feat with an almost near-death plane experience that included a diversion and a van shuttle in from a different state, but once I made it, I was happy to be there. The SNMA leadership made sure I was well accomodated, and being able to speak to over 200 attendees was incredible. 

Even before stepping foot on campus, I was absolutely floored by the level of professionalism and kindness of the faculty, staff, students, and VCOM-VA SNMA leadership. They gave me the opportunity to meet with the legendary osteopathic physician/surgeon, and civil rights leader Dr William G Anderson via zoom to hear his story personally from him, and when I arrived they gifted me with a signed copy of his book that reads "There's more room at the top...Go there!" 🥹 I truly hope my visit impacted them as positively as they impacted me.

MARCH

March was spent in Miami Beach doing a combination of aesthetic plastic surgery and hand surgery. I also completed my 4th annual plastic surgery in-service examination, and was happy to have another year behind me. Honestly, I think March was where I really started to resurface again after months of trying to be under a rock for in-service studying, work, and everything else, so I can't remember much else that happened during this month.

APRIL

The first weekend in April, I had the pleasure of visiting Newport Beach, CA for the Allergan Knowledge and Education for Young Surgeons (KEYS) program. I always love attending Allergan events because I learn so much with the plus of exploring new areas! As the meeting starts on the first day at 7am, I was able to fly in the day prior and take advantage of some much needed "me time" before the conference began. I treated myself to a massage and a day at the spa followed by a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called Ocean 48. Apparently, this was a new and extremely popular restaurant, but I was able to obtain a last minute reservation at 430pm which for me was 730pm east coast time so it was perfect! They sat me at the best table in the restaurant next to a gorgeous pool and I had the best solo dining experience ever! I literally felt like Queen Latifah in that movie where she goes to a restaurant and orders everything on the menu to enjoy her last days.

As for the conference, I loved actively learning about breast reconstruction. They even had silicone breast models that we practiced markings on as small groups. There was also an injectable portion that went over the different available fillers, and I liked how hands on it was. It's crazy how much the conference covers in only one day, but the busy resident part of me truly appreciates opportunites like this that allow me to get away without affecting my work. I also enjoy interacting with residents from other programs across the country.

I can't end April without discussing my little one as this was also her prom month. My daughter was absolutely gorgeous in her dress! I actually never got to have the true senior prom experience as I was in college full-time as a joint enrollment high school student, and I didn't really know anyone since I moved so many times during my childhood, so it has been such a blessing getting to witness my daughter have experiences I never had. 

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My daughter also finally decided on a college in April and made her announcement. I'm so excited that she will be headed to my alma mater, Louisiana State University! 💜💛💜💛 I think I'm even more glad to be done with all the college visits. We had our final one to FAU at the end of February, but over the course of the past year, I think we had more than 5, so I was tired of the whole process. I'm excited that she'll be attending a school that I am familiar with and that will help get her out of her shell while molding her to be successful in life.

MAY

And continuing on with my daughter, I'm officially the mother of a high school graduate!!!! I was so extremely proud to see my baby walk across the stage and receive her diploma with distinction in May. Celebrating her and all her accomplishments made all the stresses of graduation and partying planning worth it for me. I had planned a mommy/daughter trip but cancelled it last minute because she said she wanted to hang out with her friends. She ended up not going out and staying up under me for the week, but it was great to have uninterrupted bonding together. I'm so extremely blessed to have such a great daughter.

Oh, and speaking of graduations, Larkin Plastic Surgery officially graduated its first class of residents! We had a beautiful dinner to celebrate our outgoing chief residents at the end of May. Which reminds me, we also had our 1st ever Larkin Plastic Surgery Women's gathering at the beginning of May, and we looked good, so sharing that pic above.

JUNE

The next month sucked as I was on transplant surgery, but it was my final month as a 4th year plastic surgery resident, so that was the highlight. I also met some awesome students that knew me from social media, so it was great being able to catch up with people in real life. I honestly don't have much for June other than working. I did get to do some nice liver and kidney cases, but honestly I'm happier with plastic surgery, and I'm glad that from here on out that will be my focus for life. I ended the month (and another year of residency), by attending the Jeezy TM:101 20th Anniversary Black Tie concert, so that was my fun highlight for June.

NOW

I think that pretty much sums up the first 6 months of the year. Ya girl is officially a 5th year Plastic Surgeon (in training) as of last week, and I couldn't be happier! There's not a day that goes by where I don't wake up feeling blessed to be in the position I am in. Yeah, I might b*tch and complain every now and then, but I am truly ecstatic to be actively pursuing my dreams with a MAJOR milestone in sight! Going back through this blog and seeing where I started versus where I am now is so surreal. 5 years ago at this time, I would have never imagined that at this time I would be living in Miami and training to be a plastic surgeon. Just goes to show how God truly is in control and how trusting in Him and His process will always cause things to work out for the best. 

That's about all I have to say, but if you've read this far, thank you for much for continuing to follow along on my journey. I'm still here, still kicking, and can't wait to become your favorite plastic surgeon 😁

March 2023 Updates and Features

Perfecting my craft!

Happy March! I don't have much in terms of updates over the past month as I was busy returning back to reality from my recent trip, as well as studying for the plastic surgery in-service exam which I completed a few days ago. I finished up a great plastic surgery rotation, and ended February on a high note. The picture above is actually the last day of last month's rotation, where my little sister came for a visit as my patient :) Right now, I'm taking the time in-between work duties to get caught up and relax a little. This post will be a quick update and share some of my recent features along with my most recent YouTube video.

For my most recent update, I completed my second ever plastic surgery in-service exam! This exam is taken annually by every plastic surgery resident in the country, and it is used the assess  our knowledge. We are also all scored against all plastic surgery residents within our year. It feels good to be done, and while it was a rough one, I now have a better idea of things I need to work on knowledge-wise. I recorded the above YouTube video on the day of the exam, and it basically shows my quick morning routine and my immediate post-exam thoughts. Please check it out, give it a like, and subscribe to my channel!

I'm also beyond honored and thrilled to be currently featured in this month's issue of The DO (official magazine of the American Osteopathic Association). I am always happy to share my story in hopes that it will inspire others, so feel free to check out the article HERE and let me know what you think!

Lastly, I almost forgot to mention that last month, in celebration of Black History Month, I was also featured alongside 15 other phenomenal Black osteopathic physicians in an article that can be read HERE. If you've been following my blog from the beginning, then you might already recognize Dr. Barbara Ross-Lee and Dr. Octavia Cannon, both of whom I admire and had the chance to interact with. I am also quite fond of a lot of the other DOs mentioned in the article, so it was quite humbling to see my name mentioned alongside so many phenomenal individuals.

That's pretty much it in terms of updates. So far, I'm pretty proud of myself for keeping my goal of posting to YouTube weekly, and I'm still enjoying the hustle and bustle of residency life. As always, I appreciate you for reading and wish you a wonderful week ahead!

Check Me out on YouTube!

 

        

Happy New Year! Remember in 2017 when I attempted to start a YouTube vlog of my medical journey? Unfortunately I didn't keep up with it, but I'm hoping this year will be different. With that being said, here's my first post of the year! Please check it out, like, comment, and subscribe if you want to see more!

I still plan to write regular posts on this blog, but I figured having a video format of my journey would be helpful as well. It's definitely been a bit of a learning curve for me, so the videos will improve as I learn more. I would like to produce content that everyone finds helpful, so any and all topic suggestions are greatly appreciated. Wishing everyone a wonderful week! 

Here's the link to my YouTube channel (subscribe for future videos): https://www.youtube.com/@minoritydoctor

Wrapping up 2022! (Residency Life, Mom Life, and Blog Milestones)

Last Blog Post of the Year!

Can you believe tomorrow is the last day of 2022?! This year has flown by fast! So fast in fact that I've been too busy to keep up with my blog the way I've wanted to, but I'm here and ready to catch everyone up as we head into what will hopefully be an exciting and fulfilling new year :)

My daughter turned 16!

My last post was in October, so I guess the biggest update since that time is that I am officially the mom of a sixteen year old. Yep, the little one turned 16 in November! Can you believe it?!?! She'll be getting her full drivers license soon and we're already talking about ACT/SAT prep with hopes to plan out college visits soon. <insert shocked face> I'm just seriously so blessed to have such an amazing daughter and I'm even more so grateful that I was able to spend her special day with her and celebrate in a way that she wanted. The festivities included a birthday dinner, an escape room experience, and a very small home gathering of pizza and movies with some of her closest friends. It was memorable and just as sweet as she is.

Celebrating my 9 year blogiversary!

My other major update is the "Aspiring Minority Doctor" blog is now 9 years old! Even though my posts have become less frequent, I'm still in disbelief that I've kept up with this thing for nine years. My original plan was to type up a blogiversary post on December 17th, but that day I was participating in a full day aesthetic injection workshop and I was too tired to type by the time I got home that night. It was a pretty awesome day though as I got the chance to have my little sister as a patient and my results came out pretty awesome :) 

Surgery is life

In terms of residency life, nothing much new has occurred since my last post. I continue to work and learn daily and not a day goes by where I don't feel incredibly blessed to be in the position I am in today. I was actually surprised in November during my hand surgery rotation with how much I enjoyed it, so I'm continuing to keep my mind open on my future practice plans. Plastic surgery is such a diverse field, so I don't want to miss out on something great by hyper focusing on one aspect of the specialty. Plus, I still have four more years to make up my mind. 

Thankful for you!

Other than that, I just want to end the year with thanks. I continue to be grateful for each and every individual who takes the time out of their busy lives to read my blog. It truly means a lot to me, so thank you for reading. And as for the upcoming year, I'm not sure the direction I want to go with continuing to share my journey, but I'm definitely going to aim to make it to the ten year mark with this blog. I'm also thinking of venturing out into other realms to share my journey and insights, but for now you'll just have to stay tuned ;)

Happy Holidays!

I am excited for 2023 and for the wild ride I'm sure it will take me on. Every year that goes by, I learn more about myself, and good or bad, I enjoy the growth that comes with every year. To everyone reading this, I hope you had a very happy holiday season and I wish you an incredible New Year filled with love, joy, and accomplishing feats you never thought possible. See you next year!

 

Plastic Surgery Year Two: First Quarter Update

In my element :)

Can you believe it's already October?!?! I feel like this year has flown by so fast! It's been 4 months since my last update which was right at the start of my final month of intern year. After going through two separate intern years, it feels good to finally have PGY2 status and never have to go through that again! Right now, I am currently in the fourth month of my second year as a plastic surgery resident physician, which means it's time to update everyone on the past few months.

A fun weekend of plastic surgery education in San Francisco

June: When I last left off, I was just starting my final month of intern year. This was a fun month on the plastic surgery service! I had the chance to do a lot of procedures both in the office and the operating room, and got to spend the month working directly with my program director. I even had the opportunity to fly to San Francisco at the beginning of the month to attend an Allergan KEYS conference where I learned all about a variety of topics such as breast reconstruction, cool sculpting, Botox, and fillers. There was even a hands-on injectables session where I had the chance to perfect my technique using silicone model heads.

My super awesome plastic surgery attendings

July: I started off my second year on a combined Burn/Trauma plastic surgery service at an outside hospital, and it was busy! Between Fourth of July firework celebrations and people having a whole lot of free time to do silly things, every day was a new experience. I experienced a lot of professional growth, and it was a good start for what has been a busy second year. 

Dr. Velma Scantlebury: Super Doc and best mentor ever!

August: August was another surgical critical care month, but thankfully the last time I would have to spend a month in the ICU. This time around wasn't as bad as January (maybe because I was a bit more comfortable?), but I was still ready for it to be over. One on hand it's a blessing to be able to take care of the some of the sickest patients in the hospital, but doing it every day can get to you. The true highlight of the month was getting to see my mentor Dr. Scantlebury! She was in town for a short time speaking at a conference and it was amazing how our schedules magically aligned to meet up and catch up. I don't have to tell you how much I appreciate this woman...my old blog posts do that for me :)

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September: For my third month, I was back on the general surgery service, but in my home hospital, so it wasn't bad. We get a lot of hands on operative time in my program, so I enjoyed being in the operating room daily. The patient census also wasn't too bad, so the month was smooth sailing. I will say that my favorite part of September was finally getting in a vacation! My last vacation was back in February as a belated birthday celebration, so I was ready to have some fun. My little sister blessed me with a gift of a FREE Virgin Voyages cruise, and it was amazing! I had never been on a cruise, so I was a little apprehensive at first (especially given it was the height of hurricane season), but I am so glad I went. I ate a ton of food, had some great drinks, and even visited Cozumel, Mexico and Bimini, Bahamas. It was a much needed reset button and I've included a quick Instagram video recap above. 

Random early morning selfie

October: This month I am on the acute care general surgery service but back to rotating at a hospital a little over an hour outside of Miami. The service isn't too bad, and I'm getting a ton of OR time, but I miss being able to go home and sleep in my own bed. The hospital has also switched from 24 hour call to a night float system which means I am alternating between days and nights this month which messes up my system. Right now, it's 4am, I'm at home (yay!), and I'm typing this post as a way to stay awake since I switch to nights tomorrow/today after being on days all month. If you've been following my blog since my original intern year in Philadelphia, then you already know how much I absolutely love post call days. These no longer exist with the night float system, but it is nice being a little more refreshed at night and not having that drunk feeling that occurs after being awake for 20+ hours.

My phenomenal daughter!

Mommy Life: I'm always getting asked about my daughter (and she loves seeing herself on my blog lol), so I'll update on her too :) I officially have a 10th grader! My daughter is still heavily involved in color guard and pretty much every weekend she's away at some competition, but she is doing amazing and absolutely killing it! This semester she's taking a health core science class, and seeing her in her little white coat and scrubs made my heart melt! It's so interesting seeing how excited she gets showing me how to put on sterile gloves or going over different body parts. She's still undecided on what path she'll take in life, and I honestly wouldn't push medicine on her given all the struggles and sacrifices that come with it, but I fully support any route she chooses. She also has a learner's permit and has been practicing her driving too. Next month she'll be turning 16 and has been bugging me for a car, but doesn't seem to understand that it won't be possible since I'm back to being a broke resident. Oh well, hopefully she'll at least find my uninterrupted presence meaningful. Other than that, she surprisingly continues to be a super sweet and responsible teenager, and I'm thankful for that :)

A future Dr. Ward?

Welp, it's now after 5am and I think that about sums everything up. As I'm reflecting back on the past few months, I'm realizing this post misses so much and I really need to do a better job of updating everyone on here a bit more frequently. I can't promise I'll post again next month, but I will definitely post again before the end of the year. Right now, I'm going to go watch a movie, sleep, and then get ready for my night shift. As always, I thank you for reading!

Plastic Surgery Intern Year: Catching up on 6 months of Updates

1 month away from being a 2nd year Plastic Surgery Resident!

Can you believe that today is the first day of my LAST month of intern year?!?! This year has flown by incredibly fast! I have been severely slacking with update posts, and so much has happened since my last full update six months ago. My intent this year was to at least update everyone at the end of every month, but work and life distracted me from my favorite hobby of writing. I'll try my best to catch everyone up with this post, and for the sake of time, I'll try to keep it relatively brief since I know I can get a bit wordy.

I love my Plastic Surgery residency family!

During my last official update, I had just finished my Mohs and Surgical Dermatology month in November and was headed into Emergency Medicine for December. I'm not going to lie, after two years of working in the urgent care setting, being in the ER was super chill for me. I enjoyed the shift work, the variety of cases, and being able to have time for a little fun. The past few months have been a bit of a blur, but in December, my highlights were participating in a craniomaxillofacial cadaver lab with my residency program, and I remember the wonderful feeling of going to the beach in the middle of December, enjoying the 80 degree weather, and just loving life.

Celebrating my birthday with my favorite lady docs :)

January sucked! My rotation for the month was ICU and it was also during the time when COVID cases were crazy. I don't have anything good to say about the month other than my birthday was on the last day of the rotation, so after I finished that day I happily went out to celebrate both being finished with ICU and making it to see another year of life with some of my favorite lady docs :)

16-course menu at Joel Robuchon Bucket List item complete!

February was a bit more relaxed and I was back in the operating room for my Neurosurgery rotation. It was my first time having to operate under a microscope, and I struggled a bit trying to suture under it. I have a horrible habit of hunching over and getting close to suture, so that month I was forced to stand up straight and work on proper technique. The cases were pretty cool and it was something I wasn't exposed to much previously, so I learned a lot. I also went on a late birthday celebration vacation trip to Las Vegas toward the end of February, and it was epic! I stayed in an incredible suite at the MGM Grand Skylofts at ridiculously cheap price (yay for off season birthdays and pandemic prices!), and I checked a major item off my bucket list: the 16-course menu degustation at Joel Robuchon restaurant. It was a much needed break and reprieve from the trauma of the previous month.

Survived my first Plastic Surgery In-Service Exam

March was a bit busier, but it wasn't too bad. I took my Plastic Surgery In-Service exam during the first week of the month and I was happy to get it over with. There's definitely room for improvement, but at least now I know what to expect and how to strategize my studying. My rotation for the month was Trauma/General Surgery. It kept me busy, but I really enjoyed the hospital I was rotating at, and the attendings let me do a lot in the operating room. My favorite moment was probably when we had a laparoscopic appendectomy (appendix removal using small incisions and a camera) and the attending stood patiently waiting for a while as I tried to find the appendix. It was a highlight because it was probably my first time having laparoscopic tools in both hands and taking charge. I gave up after a while and it turned out to be a difficult case (the appendix was retrocecal, severely inflamed, and there was pus everywhere), but I appreciated the fact that I was given the chance to try on my own. It's the little things that make me happy.

SNMA AMEC 2022

My rotation for April was Anesthesia. I had never rotated in it when I was a medical student, so it was kind of cool being behind the curtain. I definitely was not used to being able to sit in the operating room and I never really realized how cold it is when you're not scrubbed in. The best part of the month was being able to scrub into plastic surgery cases after I helped with sedating and intubating the patient. April was my first time being able to operate with my program director and alongside some of my co-interns since we're usually spread out at different locations and rotations, so I really enjoyed the month. Oh, and I almost forgot: I got to attend the Annual Medical Education Conference for the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) in Orlando, FL in April where I held a workshop for premedical students, served as MC for the President's Luncheon where I addressed some of the 3000+ attendees, and reunited with some of my faves. 

#BlackGirlMagic in the Operating Room

Last month (May), I was back on General Surgery and at my main hospital. The attendings let me do more and more each day, and I've found that I'm starting to get comfortable with operating and trying new things. The only thing that I was so-so about last month was being on home call. One part of me loves being able to relax at home, shower, and sleep in my own bed during my call shifts, but the other part of me did not like all the gas I used having to drive back and forth between the two hospitals I was covering for consults, or the fact that home call means no post call days. Call is call though, and it's a necessary evil that no resident can get away from. My favorite part of the month was the #BlackGirlMagic moment pictured above. My hospital currently only has three black surgical residents (myself, my orthopedic surgery buddy, and the general surgery resident pictured with me above), so you already know I have to capture the rare and magical moments when we get to operate together :)

As for June, I started Plastic Surgery today! I am so happy to be spending the month in my specialty and I look forward to all the exciting things I'll learn this month. It will be a healthy mix of clinic days with operating days, and a good transition into my second year of residency. 

So proud of my daughter!

Whew! I think that's a solid catch up on all the months I missed updating everyone on. I don't have much else going on that's not work related outside of my daughter and she's doing well. As a matter of fact, I just posted about her the other day on my social media accounts because I was having a proud mommy moment. She just finished the school year and is now a 10th grader, has been working on her driving skills, staying involved with band and color guard, and is just an all-around awesome individual. It's crazy how when I started this blog in 2013, she was a tiny little elementary aged kid and now she's only a couple of years away from graduating high school and heading to college. Time flies!

Literally living my prayers and dreams!

I think that's all I have in terms of updates. To be honest, even though this year has been busy and not every moment is a happy one (it's residency, so not every day is as upbeat as my blog appears...I just choose to focus on the positives), every day I wake up incredibly blessed to be living my dreams. It wasn't too long ago when I was praying just for the chance to be where I am now. There have been many twists and turns along the way, but I love this journey I'm on and wouldn't change it for the world. Thank you to all those who continue to follow along on my journey and I appreciate those of you who stuck around from the very beginning of this blog when people doubted I would even make it through medical school. I've done and I am doing every thing I said I would do, and life really doesn't get much better than that. I am living proof that God's plan is the perfect plan, and I not only look forward to what my future has in store, but I hope my journey continues to uplift and inspire anyone reading this to pursue your own dreams.