Paying it Forward – Mentorship in Neurosurgery
All throughout my preparation to become a physician, female leaders and mentors have played a central role in helping me identify and achieve my goals. As a young college student, I had the opportunity to shadow in the OR (watching living donor liver transplants) because a female surgeon advocated for me to join the cases. Later, during the first semester of medical school, I attended most of the student interest group meetings, including neurosurgery. At the time, I had not yet decided what I wanted to do within medicine and was daunted by neurosurgery. A week later I received an email from a female neurosurgery attending asking if I wanted to meet and talk about the field. Little did I know that neurosurgery would become my biggest passion, and that this same attending would become a mentor and a role model.
One reason I was drawn to neurosurgery as a field was the strong culture of mentorship I personally experienced. I feel grateful to have incredible mentors, both male and female, who have inspired me and shaped me into who I am today. The female attending who first reached out to me about neurosurgery continued to mentor me through medical school — she was always there to support me, gave honest answers to my questions about being a woman in neurosurgery and has been a confidante during my decision-making process for residency. I was also lucky enough to have an incredible lab PI and mentor who unequivocally supported me, looked out for me and advocated for me. He spent hours teaching me in the lab and in the OR, prepared me to enter the field successfully as an applicant and believed in me more than I believed in myself. All these attendings truly created an environment in which I was challenged and motivated to achieve my greatest potential with their constant support.
In addition, I am very fortunate to have had incredible resident mentors who helped me discover my passion for neurosurgery and were essential in my medical education. During my second year of medical school, while on my neurology clerkship, I overlapped with a neurosurgery intern who was on his off-service rotation. He had seen me at the neurosurgery interest group meetings and knew I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to see a neurosurgical case. In an act of altruistic mentorship, during a break in the day he brought me to the ORs, where I first glimpsed the miraculous sight of a brain pulsating. This day was transformative and cemented my decision to pursue neurosurgery as my career. I continued shadowing the neurosurgery residents whenever I had a day off from clerkships, encouraged by their support and mentorship. These were the residents who taught me everything about the OR- how to scrub in, how to be helpful without being in the way, how to put in foleys, suture and tie knots for the first time. By the time I started my general surgery clerkship later that year, I had the advantage of a strong foundation in basic OR techniques and etiquette from the neurosurgery residents. More than that, their selfless, collegial support showed me the power of a resident team, and the camaraderie built in neurosurgical training.
One female neurosurgery resident in particular has been very influential in my development. On the first day of shadowing neurosurgery rounds as an M2, she noticed me standing awkwardly to the side and immediately became my guide. By the end of that day, she had not only taught me how to prepare a bone flap but had also added me to a research project she was working on. Her friendly demeanor and positive feedback made me feel like I could belong in the field, countering the imposter syndrome that is so easy to succumb to. In the following years, she talked me through selecting sub-internships, reassured me when I had a needle-stick injury while suturing, critiqued my personal statement, helped me prepare for residency interviews and spent countless hours talking me through my decision-making process for residency. This same resident, in addition to my parents, will be with me on Match Day when I open my envelope.
Lastly, through sub-internships and the residency interview season, I have continued to meet many new mentors at other institutions, both residents and attendings, who have taken the time to teach, guide and support me. These mentors, both new and old, make me so excited and inspired to enter the field of neurosurgery. I genuinely feel so grateful for the mentorship I have received over the years, and I credit all these mentors with any successes I may have achieved. The personal connection I have had with my female mentors has truly guided me and helped me envision my path as a woman in neurosurgery. I hope that one day I can pay it forward and be a great mentor for those who come next.
Author
Sofya Norman, MS4
