Surgeon, Interrupted

You Can Have It All, Just Not All at Once with Dr. Joan Chan

This week on Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with family physician and educator Dr. Joan Chan for a conversation about ambition, burnout, identity, and the myth of “having it all.” Together, they unpack the pressure many physicians feel to optimize every area of life at once — career, relationships, creativity, wellness, leadership — and why that mindset so often leads to exhaustion and loss of self. Joan shares what she’s learning while helping build a new residency training site from the ground up, including the tension between preserving institutions and protecting the humans inside them. The conversation explores medical education, agency, tradeoffs, focus, seasons of life, and the difference between suffering for something aligned versus suffering inside deep misalignment. Topics include: * Why “you can have it all” is incomplete advice * The hidden cost of trying to do everything simultaneously * Burnout in medicine and academic systems * Building residency programs differently * Institutional culture vs. human sustainability * Creativity, fulfillment, and feeling “alive” again * Why protecting people matters more than preserving systems A thoughtful, funny, and deeply honest conversation about building a life intentionally — and what medicine gets wrong about success. Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD Guest: Joan Chan, MD Connect with Joan: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/joan-chan-md Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd And subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCtTst91XiTDDGxevjAfoHCQ] on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.

The Year After Leaving Medicine | What Travel Taught Me About "Wellness"

One year after leaving the hospital, Frances Mei reflects on what actually changes when you step away from medicine, and what doesn’t. After a month-long Europe trip spanning Cambridge, London, Copenhagen, Paris, Rome, Naples, and the Amalfi Coast, Frances and Colin unpack identity, burnout, healing, neurodivergence, perfectionism, and the uncomfortable reality of personal growth after medicine. They talk about: * Why “wellness” often isn’t enough for doctors * The trap of outsourcing your rational brain * Learning how to enjoy life again after survival mode * Why high achievers struggle to dream outside of medicine * How travel, art, museums, and creativity changed Frances Mei's life * The surprising grief of realizing you actually can change * Letting go of the version of yourself built entirely around achievement This episode is about what happens when the career you sacrificed everything for is no longer the center of your life — and how difficult, disorienting, and beautiful rebuilding can be. Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective Following Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd And subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCtTst91XiTDDGxevjAfoHCQ] on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.

[TW: Miscarriage] Fertility, Miscarriage & Residency: A Surgeon’s Story

What happens when life doesn’t wait for training to end? In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with ENT surgeon Dr. Kelly Schmidt to talk about a reality rarely discussed in medicine: navigating fertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy during residency. What begins as a straightforward plan to “just have a baby” quickly becomes something else—cycles that don’t work, loss that doesn’t pause training, and the disorienting experience of trying to solve a problem that effort alone can’t fix. Kelly shares her story openly—from miscarrying while on call to continuing to work through grief, to eventually building a path forward with fertility treatment and advocacy. This episode covers: * Trying to conceive during residency * Miscarriage while on call—and returning to work * The emotional toll of infertility in high-achievers * What actually helps (and what doesn’t) when supporting someone * Navigating FMLA and time off during training * How to advocate for yourself in a rigid system If you’ve ever felt like medicine leaves no room for real life—this conversation is for you. Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD Guest: Kelly Schmidt, MD Connect with Kelly: @kschmidt93 Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd And subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCtTst91XiTDDGxevjAfoHCQ] on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.

USMLE Step 1 Failure to U.S. Doctor: IMG Journey No One Talks About | Imane Tarib, MD

What if the moment that almost broke you… was the one that made everything possible? In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances sits down with cornea specialist Dr. Imane Tarib to unpack a journey that spans continents, identities, and nearly two decades of training. From medical school in Morocco to starting over in the United States as an IMG, Imane shares what it actually takes to rebuild a career from scratch—learning a new system, navigating isolation, and studying for the USMLE for 18 months… only to fail. But this isn’t a story about failure. It’s about what happens after. They talk about: * The reality of being an IMG and immigrant in U.S. medicine * The psychological impact of failure—and how to reframe it * The hidden cost of “starting over” after already becoming a doctor * Love, long distance, and choosing a life that wasn’t the original plan * Why success often looks effortless—but never is Imane’s story challenges the myth of the “straight path” in medicine—and replaces it with something more honest: persistence, reinvention, and the courage to keep going when nothing feels certain. Because sometimes the long way is the only way. And sometimes, it’s the right one. Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD Guest: Imane Tarib, MD Connect with Imane: - Instagram: @imanetarib.md - TikTok: @imanetarib.md - LinkedIn: Imane Tarib, MD - YouTube: @RealImaneTaribMD Imane Tarib, MD, is a cornea, cataract, and refractive surgeon and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Imane is an International Medical Graduate from Morocco who trained at the Mohammed V Military Teaching Hospital in Rabat before completing three research fellowships and two advanced Cornea, External Disease, and Refractive Surgery fellowships at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Palm Beach Gardens. Her academic focus includes corneal disease, refractive cataract surgery, and global ophthalmology. Her work also explores the intersection of medicine, mentorship, and advocacy for international medical graduates and women in medicine. Through her social media platforms, she shares insights into medical training, career growth, and building a meaningful life in and outside of medicine. Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd And subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCtTst91XiTDDGxevjAfoHCQ] on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.

The Line Between Self-Advocacy and Survival in Medicine

This week on Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with Dr. Kate Buhrke following their trip to the LMSA West conference—where one theme came up again and again: How do you protect yourself in a system that doesn’t protect you? From toxic power dynamics and inappropriate behavior in training, to the blurred line between self-advocacy and self-preservation, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what medical students and residents are still facing today. They dive into: * The reality of one-on-one power in clinical training * Why “just playing the game” comes at a cost * The myth that abuse creates better doctors * Unionization, organizing, and why change feels so slow * The hidden emotional toll: “death by a thousand cuts” * Why some specialties get away with more than others And ultimately—what it means to speak up, find community, and remind people: You’re not crazy. You’re not alone. Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD Guest: Kate Burhke, DO Connect with Kate: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/kate-buhrke-do Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd And subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ [https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCtTst91XiTDDGxevjAfoHCQ] on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.