From OB-GYN to ‘Former Doctor’: Identity After Forced Exit from Medicine

In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei Hardin sits down with Stephanie Pearson, MD, a former OB-GYN whose medical career ended abruptly after a devastating workplace injury.What followed wasn’t just the loss of surgery or obstetrics—it was the loss of identity.After being injured during a patient delivery, dismissed by early providers, and ultimately terminated when she could no longer perform 100% of her job duties, Stephanie found herself forced out of clinical medicine entirely. Overnight, “Dr. Pearson” became “former doctor,” with no roadmap for what came next.In this deeply honest conversation, Stephanie shares:What it’s like to be forced out of medicine when you're about to become Chair—not burned out, not ready, not choosing to leaveThe psychological fallout of losing a physician identity overnightChronic pain, disability, and the silence around injured doctorsWhy disability insurance failures nearly cost her everythingHow she rebuilt a second career—and a sense of purpose—outside of medicineThe friendships medicine quietly replaces, and the grief that comes afterWhy no one prepares doctors for who they are without the white coatThis episode is for physicians, trainees, and healthcare professionals grappling with identity, loss, reinvention, or the unspoken truth that medicine does not always love you back.If you’ve ever wondered who you’d be if medicine disappeared tomorrow—this conversation is for you.Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MDGuest: Stephanie Pearson, MDConnect with Stephanie: @drstephaniepearsonhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniepearsonmd/Presented by: The Hippocratic CollectiveFollow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimdAnd subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.