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Mentorship

Cross-Post: Medical Student Tamia Potter Makes History

By Career, DEI, MentoringNo Comments

Our current series on Making and Maintaining a Neurosurgeon discusses how one transitions from student to resident to practicing neurosurgeon. In particular, we highlight what our field is doing to improve diversity and the importance of mentorship to those considering neurosurgery. How impactful can a mentor be? Incredibly. Especially when it comes to forging a path few before have traveled.

This cross-post highlights the impact mentorship had on one newly minted physician, Tamia Potter, MD, who just became the first black female neurosurgery resident at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. Her story made headlines across the country, and she describes those who have inspired her along the way.

“As a child, watching my mom, a nurse, care for patients — I was always questioning why the body works the way it does,” said Dr. Potter. “I knew [then] I wanted to learn and understand how the brain and nervous system worked; I wanted to be a neurosurgeon.”

Only about 5.7% of physicians in the United States identify as Black or African American, according to recent data from the Association of American Medical Colleges. Dr. Potter stresses the importance of the many mentors who have been just as instrumental throughout medical school. She recognizes her responsibility as a mentor for future students, “I didn’t get here by myself.”

Click here to read the full article published by Case Western Reserve University.

Editor’s Note: We hope you will share what you learn from our posts in the Making and Maintaining a Neurosurgeon series. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery and using the hashtag #Neurosurgery.

Krystal L. Tomei, MD, MPH, FAANS, FACS, FAAP
Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital
Cleveland, Ohio

January 3, 2024
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The Transformative Power of Mentorship: Establishing a Personal Board of Directors

By Career, MentoringNo Comments

Stepping into the inaugural American Society of Black Neurosurgeons (ASBN) dinner in 2022, surrounded by almost 30 Black neurosurgeons, residents and medical students, was an indescribable experience. In that room, I encountered past program neurosurgery department chairs and senior attendings, who welcomed me into the fold with open arms. The presence of such accomplished individuals who shared my background and experiences left an indelible impact on me.

Joining the ASBN shed light on a critical flaw in my approach to mentorship. To truly flourish and reach my full potential, I recognized the need to cultivate a diverse team of mentors around me. Effective mentorship entails a combination of peer mentors, career mentors, life mentors and sponsors. I had been burdening my primary mentor unfairly, expecting him to fulfill all these roles single-handedly. Yet, he had somehow managed to keep me afloat throughout my journey — a testament to his unwavering dedication to my success. It is somewhat humbling to admit that I failed to grasp this crucial aspect of mentorship earlier in life. My experience is not unique, particularly for individuals from underrepresented groups who may face similar challenges in finding the right support network.

With this revised approach to mentorship, I have begun to forge my own path in the field of neurosurgery. With that, I present a structured approach to finding mentors, assembling a personal board of advisors, each playing a unique role but sharing a common dedication to one’s success.

  1. Peer Mentors: These are individuals in a similar or adjacent career stage, such as co-residents, fellows, or junior faculty members. This group is the one you can reach out to bounce ideas, seek advice on resident politics, prepare for cases, avoid common residency pitfalls and become involved in research.
  2. Career Mentor: A career mentor is a seasoned faculty member who can guide and refine your professional trajectory. This mentor may be from within or outside your home institution. They assist in networking, identifying fellowship opportunities and setting and achieving mid- to long-term career goals through regular check-ins.
  3. Sponsor: A sponsor is someone who knows you well and works behind the scenes to advocate for your success. This person may not be someone you communicate with regularly, but they are individuals you meet along your journey, such as at conferences or sub-internships. Sponsors are familiar with your research work and career path. They are pivotal in advocating for you when you apply for awards, grants and advancements within neurosurgery.
  4. Life Mentor: Your life mentor ideally exists outside the confines of your direct medical community. This can be a spiritual advisor, life coach or an older family member. Their role is to help you navigate the challenges of residency and beyond while staying true to yourself. Having a life mentor reminds us that we are multifaceted human beings and to maintain balance and nurture our well-being beyond just being neurosurgeons.

By assembling a mentor team, you will have a comprehensive support system that empowers you to navigate the complexities of a career in neurosurgery while fostering personal growth and resilience. This also provides a rubric for you to engage in mentoring others, paying it forward to the next generation of neurosurgeons. Recognizing the importance of mentorship, it is crucial that, as neurosurgeons, we actively incorporate teachings on mentorship in our training programs and support mentorship organizations like the ASBN and Women in Neurosurgery so we can ensure the future success of a diverse cohort of resident trainees.

Editor’s Note: We hope you will share what you learn from our posts in the Making and Maintaining a Neurosurgeon series. We invite you to join the conversation on Twitter by following @Neurosurgery and using the hashtag #Neurosurgery.

David A. Paul, MD, MS
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, Penn.

December 15, 2023
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AANS Neurosurgeon Spotlight: Winter 2020 – The Mind of a Neurosurgeon Part II

By AANS Spotlight, MedEd, Medical Liability, MentoringNo Comments

Articles in the latest issue of AANS Neurosurgeon: “The Mind of a Neurosurgeon” take on the daunting task of better understanding what makes us tick! Many of the best and brightest have graciously considered aspects of this question and shared their poignant thoughts:

The Case for Mindfulness and Compassion

James R. Doty, MD, FAANS

  • Focus Lost. Every moment in surgery can be critical, right to the very end.
  • Focus Regained. I am working blind, so I open my heart to a possibility beyond reason, beyond skill and I begin to do what I was taught decades ago, not in residency, not in medical school, but in the back room of a small magic shop in the California desert.
  • For some it manifests as forgetfulness. Others experience compassion fatigue. Some experience moral injury and completely lose their motivation to serve their patients. In the worst cases, as defined by the ICD-10, physician’s burnout results in a state of vital exhaustion.
  • Being able to apply mindfulness training and a self-compassionate attitude to my profession gave me permission to attend to my own health and well-being.

The Impact of Medical Review Panels

Jennifer Kosty, MD; Bowen Jiang, MD; Devon LeFever; Jared R. Broughman; Frederick White, MD; Katie O. Orrico, JD; Bharat Guthikonda, MD, FAANS

  • Between 1990 and 2010, the National Practitioner Data Bank estimated malpractice and liability claims from adverse surgical events to be over $1.3 billion.
  • The Medical Review Panel (MRP) and Patient’s Compensation Fund are completely self-funded by physician participants, filing fees and investment income.
  • Once initiated, the panel has a 180-day period to render a decision with three possible outcomes: (1) Evidence demonstrates breach of the standard of care; (2) Evidence does not demonstrate breach of the standard of care; or (3) A question of fact exists bearing on the issue of liability which does not require expert opinion and therefore the MRP cannot render a decision.
  • Although the MRP has largely been beneficial for Louisiana, not all states have had similar experiences.

Inspiring Diverse Minds: The Value of Online Mentorship

Tiffany Ejikeme; Jennifer A. Sweet, MD, FAANS

  • Mentoring has been shown to be the most important factor for medical students in their choice of a specialty.
  • One specific challenge to mentorship relates to diversity. I have not come across many neurosurgeons who look like me, a black woman.
  • Staff physicians must relate to their students beyond the academic scope to form more authentic and effective relationships.
  • Further complicating the mentorship equation is how the medical student experience has evolved with the advent of technology.
  • Supporting efforts like WINS’ online mentorship portal, will help foster and develop mentorship relationships for students around the world.

Alternative Mind: How Non-traditional Experiences Enrich Neurosurgical Training Part 2

Juliana C. Rotter, MD; Avital Perry, MD; Christopher S. Graffeo, MD

  • Advanced communication skills and training are a crucial skill brought to neurosurgery by those coming in with background in business, administration or leadership.
  • The military mindset has a number of enriching elements including discipline to prioritize mission first as well as creating routinized procedures for debriefing, preparation and review.
  • Taken together, the less-traveled pathways have the potential to improve communication, diversify the collective skillset, enhance leadership and maintain the essential focus on the needs of the patient.

 

January 8, 2020
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