Putting on My First White Coat
White Coat Ceremony. This ceremony is a time of celebration that symbolizes the beginning. Many doctorate programs have white coat ceremonies which include dental and medical school. Each of these fields designate the white coat ceremony...
“Throwing My Life Away” Was the Best Decision I Ever Made
As medical students, we are trained to anticipate the next step, being a resident. As a resident, we are placed on track to know that there are offices, hospitals, clinics, etc that need us. The position is waiting; you just have to fall in line and find the right...
Med Student Memoirs: My Expectation Hangover
It was my first day of undergrad and the feeling of pride and excitement were overwhelming. I was thrilled, I was going to be the first in my family to earn a college degree. I checked my email several times a day, and being that it was the first day of college, I...
Doctor Lulu Heads to the Capitol
So, I was minding my business doing school work at home last Monday, when I looked at my phone and noticed a message on Facebook messenger from a random gentleman that I had never heard of before. He introduced himself as Dr. Wilson Lam, a member of a group of doctors...
How Working in Global Health Changed Me as a Doctor
Being in medicine requires practitioners to be more than a clinician but also an advocate, coordinator, counselor, information resource and supporter for patients. As physicians we are in an unique position to understand and treat the protean manifestations of...
#WomenPower: What Happens When Female Doctors Join Together
Last year a Texas based physician came under fire after he was quoted in a medical journal stating female physicians earn less because we do not "work as hard". A repost on the Facebook group Physician Mom's Group, an online community of over 70,000 female physicians,...
Going Back to School for an MBA 30 Years Later
“Adult Ed is a Mother, but it’s also a Keeper!” — Dr. Lulu I recently graduated with a Master’s in Business Administration from University of Texas San Antonio ending my 27-month journey into the land of adult education. My heart is full of joy! No more staying up...
Why I Like Being a 43-old Physician
"Are you the doctor?" was the most frequently asked question I received from patients in my new practice. The 2nd most common question was "Are you old enough to be a doctor?", followed by the rather blunt question "How old are you?" I graduated from family...
Feeling Like an Imposter?
Have you ever felt guilty in your successes, discounted praise, doubtful in your ability or just plain lucky but not “enough”? If you answered yes to any of these, you’ve probably experienced something called “imposter syndrome”. It’s something many of us in the...
That’s Doctor Not Mrs.
I’m a physician married to a physician. Initially, I did not think I would face obstacles because of our dual career paths. I would soon learn, however, professional and personal life sacrifices would be necessary for us to achieve our goals. This is my story as a...
Unbreakable: How I Survived Raising An Infant as a Resident and Single Mom
“Oh, shit,” I said to myself as I sat on the toilet, pants down, grasping at a pink plastic stick between my legs. “I’m pregnant.” I stared at the baby blue “+” sign. There was no mistaking it. I didn’t have to wait the 60 seconds for those fateful intersecting lines...
Perfection is Not Required
I remember June 20th, 2010 like it was yesterday. In the months preceding that day, overwhelm had become my new normal. I had so many hats to wear and it did not seem like I was succeeding in any of my roles. I was a wife, mother of two children ages 2 years and 7...
Advice For All Our New Physicians – Part 2
In my chapter of The Chronicles of Women in White Coats, I touched on how the fear of becoming a statistic that supports the idea of the “July Effect” affected my ability to care for myself. For you who are starting out, you can learn from my experience and that of...
Thoughts of a Fat Physician
I’m fat. It’s fact. I’ve been fat for most of my life. There really is not a time that I don’t remember being fat. I was always heavier than girls in my classes in school. No matter how active I was I was always bigger. As I got older my eating...
Advice for All Our New Physicians
Dr. Natasha Sriraman along with other Women in White Coats gives new interns advice about how to be successful in residency.
