I Thought I'd Stay in Academic Medicine. Residency Changed My Mind.

What does it actually feel like to finish a plastic surgery residency in 2026?In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with graduating plastic surgery resident Dr. Liz Malphrus just days before graduation to reflect on the end of a six-year journey through surgical training. Together, they discuss burnout, confidence, identity, career choices, and what comes next after residency.Liz shares how her perspective on medicine evolved during training, why she ultimately chose private practice over academia, and the lessons she wishes she could tell her intern-year self. The conversation explores everything from comparison culture and perfectionism to finding agency, building a meaningful career, and the role supportive partners play in surviving medicine.They also discuss:• What residency teaches you about yourself• The surprising parts of surgical training• Why comparison is the thief of joy in residency• Academic medicine vs. private practice• The power of mentorship outside institutions• Marriage, support systems, and surviving training together• What happens when you finally get your life back• Why physicians may be more capable than they realizeWhether you're a medical student, resident, attending physician, or simply curious about life behind the curtain of medical training, this episode offers an honest look at one of the biggest transitions in a physician's career.Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MDGuest: Liz Malphrus, MDConnect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/[email protected] 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.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 16, 2026

Embed this episode

Attribution link and audio player

NOW PLAYING

I Thought I'd Stay in Academic Medicine. Residency Changed My Mind.

0:00 40:06

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

No similar episodes found.

Similar Podcasts

Less of You: Life on Semaglutide & Tirzepatide Eva Sheie & Kami Gamlem Eva + Kami are two old-ish moms confronting our reasons for being obese while losing weight on semaglutide and tirzepatide, and roasting our past selves. Sarcasm is our happy place. Follow us on Instagram @lessofyoupodcast. After a friend (who is a plastic surgeon) talked Eva into starting semaglutide in February of 2023, she lost 70 pounds in 14 months, alternating between long stretches of being stalled at the same weight and consistent but slow weight loss. Chasing a lifelong dream to being considered just overweight and not obese by the BMI calculator, after 14 months Eva switched to tirzepatide to try and reach a goal that still seems just out of reach. A prolific eater of her feelings, Kami was tired of being uncomfortable and when she heard through a mutual friend how semaglutide had changed Eva’s life, she found a trusted medical weight loss provider and t Explicit Cut & Tell Hippocratic Collective Cut & Tell is a real-time account of becoming a surgeon—at the exact moment the training wheels come off. Hosted by plastic surgery chief resident Elizabeth Malphrus, this show follows the transition from residency to “year one”: the first, most disorienting, and most defining stretch of a surgical career. It’s where the identity you’ve spent a decade building is suddenly tested—clinically, professionally, and personally. This is not a retrospective. It’s happening now. Through solo episodes, unfiltered conversations, and stories from inside the operating room and beyond, Cut & Tell explores what it actually takes to become a surgeon: the structure of training, the emotional cost, the invisible curriculum, and the tension between perfection and reality in a high-stakes field. It also asks harder questions—about trust in medicine, the role of physicians in a changing cultural landscape, and what it means to step into authority when you’re not sure you’re ready. Explicit Surgeons with Purpose Hippocratic Collective A podcast for surgeons who feel like they are languishing in a career that didn't turn out to be as fulfilling or as prestigious as they expected. Dr. Mel Thacker, an ENT surgeon and coach, takes you on a journey to help you understand why you are feeling dissatisfied, burnt out, and stuck. With this newfound insight, you'll be able to reframe how you see your experience, rediscover who you are underneath your surgeon identity, and create a life that aligns with your authentic self.Find more info about Surgeons with Purpose and other shows on the Hippocratic Collective at hippocratic-collective.com Explicit Phil Interrupted Phil Allen This is the show were Phil Allen gets to do whatever he wants. We can review movies, video games, and who knows what else!? Shows can be spooky to oddly informative to downright stupid. Explicit

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted?

This episode is 40 minutes long.

When was this Surgeon, Interrupted episode published?

This episode was published on June 16, 2026.

Can I download this Surgeon, Interrupted episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.

URL copied to clipboard!