Women in Medicine–Influencers on the Job and At Home

The American Medical Association has deemed September as Women in Medicine month. #WIMMonth And TODAY, is Women in Medicine Day! I’m off and enjoying a night out with some girlfriends (not in medicine) to celebrate.

If we learned anything on September 1st, it’s that physician moms have a huge voice, support for each other, and are looking for some serious change. From addressing issues about the pay gap to the ongoing issue of the massive disparity in leadership positions, there’s a lot of reform that the culture of medicine needs in order to provide better care for its patients and its providers. Women officially made up the majority of the entering classes in US medical schools in 2018. It seems obvious that we are here to stay, and we (WIM) are the future of medicine. That future is now.

There are thousands of physicians on social media these days. Some have their own blogs, their own mini-blogs on Instagram, and others have massive Facebook followings. Physician moms are their own brand of “influencers”. I know from experience. I don’t claim to be an influencer, but I am certainly influenced by them on Instagram–in a really good way. When I was in the darkest parts of burnout, I turned to these women that seemed to have it all together. I saw their struggles, I saw their successes, and I realized that I wasn’t alone and that I could truly turn it all around. I follow Twitter (but I, admittedly, get overwhelmed), and I am a member of a number of groups on Facebook that have been hugely helpful in finding a “physician mom tribe”–even if it is virtual and I don’t exactly personally connect with many of them. (I am an introvert after all.)

So, if this month is celebrating Women in Medicine, I’m happy to celebrate these ladies. Who are all these women that have helped me in the greatest way imaginable and helped me rekindle a love for trauma/surgery/medicine (even if its temporary)?

Links blogs or Instagram profiles

1. Sasha Shillcutt, MD. She’s my number one for a reason. I ran across her Brave Enough campaign after I had already named my blog Doctor Enough. I’ve had one phone call with her, just one. However, I was inspired. I didn’t even sign up for her course, couldn’t sign up for the fall conference because I still don’t know my schedule, and I never scheduled a follow up phone call. Yet, something changed in me that day. I suddenly saw a light and things were just better, and I truly believed that I was enough. She is an amazing human being with the brightest light shining within and from her. She is the creator of Style MD and Brave Enough. Find her at Brave Enough.
2. Natalie Crawford, MD. I’ve never spoken to her but I have admired her Instagram since long before I even started a blog that wasn’t just personal. She is a fertility specialist, and pretty darn good at it. I actually know people that have traveled across the state of Texas to meet her and use her services. She radiates confidence, she puts down specific time to play mom, and she truly enjoys her successes. She has truly found her message about infertility awareness.
3. R. Khan, DO. A.K.A. The Female Doc. Talk about someone who really wants to empower us women in medicine. Her instagram posts and stories are amazing. She did a live series about gender in the workplace and it was outstanding. I love following her because she does critical care, and it’s a damn hard job. It’s hard to keep going when you’re surrounded by the sickest of the sick, but she sure makes it look easy. She is truly the definition of a strong woman.
4. Errin Weisman, DO. Creator of the Doctor Me First program. She went through burnout, and she just freaking gets it. She is so easy to talk to and intensely passionate about helping others work through burnout. She’s been through the rough spots of non-competes, crappy co-workers, feeling overworked (at work and at home). She is another person that I’ve only spoken to once but have the utmost respect for. I talked to her right after I talked to Sasha Shillcutt, and these two combined truly changed my course for the better.
5. Doctor Mommy, MD. I found Shelly’s blog because I was searching for first-time doctor moms, and she’s got a little one just barely younger than my own. She obviously got her mommy blogging off to an amazing start and has a fantastic following. Her family is precious, she has great advice for soon-to-be moms and brand new mommas too. I love watching her stories on Instagram AND she surfs. How cool is that?
6. Amy Shah, MD. One of the few physicians that you can trust with nutrition. She inspired me to try intermittent fasting. I went hardcore with it and am currently on the FASTer Way to Fat Loss program, and I am feeling really amazing. She has great advice about nutrition and how to make IF a way of life. She also has some super inspiring quotes and other posts that often help me get through the day.
7. Cassondra Majestic, MD. Blogger at The Majestic Life. She’s an emergency medicine doc (and there aren’t a whole lot of us with “emergency” type medical careers and a social media presence). She is definitely an influencer. She promotes work-life balance while being honest about her own life–the post call struggle is real some days! She’s also a dog mom. There’s a lot I feel I can relate to with her blog and her Instagram.
8. Anjali Malik, MD. An advocate for women and cancer screenings, she is a breast radiologist after all. She also has great advice about general wellness, skincare, and the like. Truly, she is a great role model for all women in medicine. Like me, she feels like “she’s one of the lucky ones” but that doesn’t stop her from trying to empower those that aren’t so lucky.
9. Dr. Jen Trachtenberg. Pediatrician. I love following her for advice, especially as a first time mom. I’m sure my own pediatrician appreciates that I don’t call with too many dumb questions. (Physicians know just enough about other specialties to scare themselves silly.) I came across her when she needed some help trying to denounce the antivaxxers–boy, are they a feisty bunch! I have so much respect for pediatricians that are still fighting the good fight to keep our children alive and healthy. I especially love seeing her offer up advice on Friday nights before you can’t call the office all weekend on Instagram stories.
10. Dr. Nadia. Founder of The Mindful MD Mom. Another pediatrician with her own kiddos and promotes work-life balance at its best. She has an award winning blog as both a mom and for mindfulness. It’s obvious why when you read through her blog and follow her on Instagram.
11. Chronicles of Women in White Coats. This book was published soon after I got my Instagram and blog going, and I really found a lot of solice in it. The struggles we all face in our white coats are so eloquently exposed. The girls that got this book together are such an amazing tribe of women. Their blog is firing up this month too!
12. Carrie Reynolds, MD. Creator of the Hippocratic Hustle which was probably the first podcast that got me going on podcasts. (See my list of the other ones you should be following, by clicking here.) I also found a lot of inspiration from a financial standpoint and helped me really kick off my blog. Basically the fear of a “side-gig” dissipated when I started listening to the candid conversations she has with her guests.
13. Sarmie Sister Sweets. I purely follow these ladies for their absolutely amazing artistry–on cookies. I can’t wait for an excuse to order some. They are so incredibly talented. One of the sisters is a doctor mom and self-proclaimed “domestic diva”. One glance at their cookies and you’ll agree!
14. Rupa Wong, MD. Dr. Rupa is an ophthalmologist who lives in Hawaii and is living her dream. First of all, she has lived in some of my favorite places (North Carolina, Boston, NYC, and Hawaii). She is in private practice with her husband and is a Mom Boss/Doctor Boss. She is open and honest about being a physician entrepeneur and the real-life difficulties of juggling work and home life. She is a great mentor for any woman looking to create her ideal life in the medical professional.
15. Danielle Jones, MD. MamaDoctorJones is so much fun to follow. She loves dogs, she loves her kids, and she’s a great doc with a good message. Her only downfall is that she’s an Aggie, but I’ll forgive her for it because at least she’s a Texan. She really seems to balance her work and home life and I’ve been following her on her journey through her latest pregnancy. I found inspiration in her pretty soon after creating my new Instagram, and her vivacity is contagious.
16. Myra Sylvina. I follow her on Instagram as Drmyrainscrubs. She does educational posts about the operations she does and has some great pictures in and out of the OR. Possibly more “smiley” than most, she accurately portrays the life of a general surgeon. There are so few general surgeons that I’ve found on social media so I love her posts.
17. Danielle Manalo, MD. At EatRoamHeal, Dr. Manalo shares the travel bug with two toddlers in tow. I’m attempting to do the same with our first child, so I look to her for inspiration and tips on traveling before I provide my own. She’s also a foodie and kicks ass in the gym too. If she’s a dog-mom, then she might be my spirit animal.
18. FemInEm.org. Doctors Dara Kass and Jenny Beck-Esmay created FemInEm to help female emergency medicine physicians. They have since expanded their reach to other specialties and touch on multiple issues regarding women in medicine. Their interviews are intelligent, witty, and I always find a few pearls. This is another great podcast and the website is great for resources as well.
19. Dr. Mare Mbaye. The Ob/Gyn resident behind SassandScalpels is just that–a lot of sass and a lot of female empowerment. She is amazingly stylish, educational, and does some pretty amazing workouts too. (I never figured out how to maintain the gym life as a resident, but she sure does!)
20. Dr. Nina Lum. Her Instagram and blog were among the first I found when I was looking for help with burnout. She is trying to help us all through the rough journey. Her Instagram radiates positivity and style. She always brings me a bright reminder to keep going.
21. Sara Dill, MD. As The Doctor’s Coach she was one of the first women to actually help women address burnout. I listened to her book on Audible and again, had an epiphany. I had been searching for an “out” for months. After listening to her book, I was able to stand up TO myself and what I needed from my professional life in order to be happy. She helped me realize what might be the common denominator in my problems (even before I went back to a psychologist). I highly recommend her book/help for anyone considering leaving medicine entirely.
22. Nisha Mehta, MD. Talk about standing up and speaking out. That’s exactly what she does. She empowers women by speaking nationally and writing in some of the most well-known magazines and newspapers. She is essentially an expert on work-life balance and her blog empowers women to find it. She also wrote another great article about the recent physician pay gap data, and I hope my blog some day resembles hers (when I get to talk more about obtaining financial independence).

I’m celebrating the fact that I’m not dreading every day I go into work right now. I’m celebrating the fact that I’m working less which makes work-life balance much easier. I’m celebrating the fact that I seem to be finding myself again (even if its with a little prescription help). I’m celebrating the fact that I am persevering as a woman in medicine.

How are you celebrating today?

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