March 8th marks International Women’s Day. March also happens to be my birthday month, so celebrating women is right up my alley as I am a big advocate for women encouraging women. International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. So I’d like to share what this day and my birthday month means to me.
For one, I am so grateful for the women who came before me—those who laid the foundation for the work I am doing today. I am proud to be a strong female physician who demonstrates compassion, assertiveness, and ambition in my work. In transparency, being a female physician has come with its challenges. I have faced adversity in many forms. But I am grateful for my support system which consists of my family, friends, and mentors. Having friends who are also women physicians has been huge for me. They can relate, they can understand, and you can support each other.
I’ll share something very personal and special to me that always stays with me. I was once told by a very extraordinary female physician mentor of mine: “You have the thing. The thing that can’t be taught. The magic that doesn’t fade. Don’t ever lose that, and you will be successful. You already are an incredible physician.” I will never forget her words and her encouragement. For me, I think that special “thing” is my sparkle and compassion—the very thing that makes me proud to be a #womaninmedicine and #sheMD – I will always walk into a room feeling genuinely myself, and I always hope I bring compassion to the table. I think that’s what makes me a great fit for this career.
Thoughts from a psychiatry resident physician,
Dr. AKP
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