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I am currently an Assosciate Professor in Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Virginia. Translated, this means that I take care of women with cancer (ovarian, uterine, cervical, vulvar, and vaginal types). I will perform their surgery and give them chemotherapy or radiation therapy if necessary. Since I am in a teaching position, I also teach medical students, residents and fellows about women's cancers and how to recognize and treat them as well as perform research on new types of treatments for women with cancer. To reach this position takes years of 15 years of school and training after high school. Everything I needed to know to become a women's cancer surgeon, I learned in 12 years of primary education, 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, 4 years of residency and 3 years of fellowship. I completed high school and then went to Emory University in Atlanta for my college (majored in Biology and Psychology) and then went to the University of Virginia's School of Medicine. After receiving my MD degree, I went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for my Obstetrics and Gynecology residency. I then went to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas for my Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship. Then I decided to move to Lexington, Kentucky to join the Markey Cancer Center. I love my job. It is an absolute privilege to be able to take care of women with cancer and I find the job both intellectually and physically challenging. My typical week might include a day or two in the laboratory, a day or two in surgery, a day in the clinic and every day includes seeing my hospitalized patients and teaching. It can be very hectic trying to balance everything at work and at home but I wouldn't trade it for another career. The hardest part about being a surgeon and a doctor is the time
that you sacrifice from your personal life. It takes 15 years after
high school and once medical school and residency starts, you can
easily work a hundred hours a week and almost always includes some
nights and many weekends (No, I am not exaggerating). Gradually
things are improving in medicine, some residencies are restricting
work hours to 80 hours/week (remember, a lot of jobs are only 40
hours/week. Despite the time, I can't imagine another job could
be nearly so fulfilling but medicine is certainly not for everyone.
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