The countdown begins

Happy 2025 y’all✨

Hope everyone has had a lovely start to the new year! I was hit with the sudden realization that 2025 means 2026 is next year, and as such, I’m only 18 months out from graduating residency (!!!!). I’ve been talking about the end date and graduation for yearsss, but now it feels like it’s coming up too fast. For those in a longer training program, you’ll understand me when say that the day cannot come soon enough but also I’m nowhere near ready for it.

2024 reflections

This last year has been one of the most peaceful and fulfilling years of my life alhamdulillah. I finished out the second half of my research year, started my sixth year and started operating on much more complex cases, and made the official transition into my senior residency.

For those who don’t know, most neurosurgery programs have some research time built into them where you focus more on academic interests and you aren’t as involved on-service in the hospital or in the clinical world. For most residents, it serves as a much needed break from the grueling grind of junior residency. I was able to slow down a bit and truly appreciate my life and my time, and catch my breath for the first time in years. I realized during this time how much I missed the operating room and couldn’t wait to be back.

The start of sixth year truly allowed me to find my love for medicine and for neurosurgery again. As a senior resident (but not yet chief of the service), I am on more complex cases and advancing my surgical skills every day. My appreciation continues to grow for the nuances in patient anatomy, the unmatched skill of my neurosurgery mentors, and the unending dedication and coordination of the whole team to make every operation possible.

The switch into my senior years meant switching away from the ‘junior’ service duties and on-call role, and taking on new responsibilities as a senior resident. There were a few bumps along the way (there always will be), but on the whole I have to say it is infinitely better being in the position I am in now. There’s a lot of things that can change about medical education overall but for now I’ll just tell y’all that truly, it gets better.

Looking ahead

While I’m excited to enter my last 18 months of residency, I’m also scared of the unknown and what’s all to come. The nice thing about the field of medicine is the clear structure and timeline it gives to your life - though it can feel confining by at times, it’s gives a sense of security. Life outside of medical training will come as a huge adjustment, especially to those who have been in the system for so long!

Turns out that I won’t quite be done with my training next year - I’ve decided to apply for fellowship (pediatric neurosurgery, here I come!) - I will have an additional year before I’m totally out in the real world as an independently practicing neurosurgeon in 2027. Regardless, this next year and a half of residency is sure to fly by. I’m trying to learn as much as I possibly can while still in the controlled environment of a trainee - where it is my job to explore and to make mistakes and to continue learning and to better myself every single day.