Residents Are Being Exploited (And Everyone Knows It) | Cut & Tell with Dr. Liz Malphrus

Cut & Tell is where medicine gets honest.In this episode, Dr. Liz Malphrus gets real about the hidden economics of residency training, and why so many residents feel trapped, undervalued, and burned out before they ever become attendings.With just weeks left before finishing plastic surgery residency, Liz reflects on what she wishes someone had told her on day one: know your worth.She shares:Why residency is a job—not “just training”How the system keeps residents financially powerlessThe reality of working 80-hour weeks for low payWhy residents can’t simply “leave” like other professionalsThe emotional and financial cost of medical trainingHow healthcare depends on resident laborWhy anger about the system may actually be justifiedWhat needs to change for the next generation of physiciansFrom pandemic ICU shifts to the culture of silence in medicine, this is an unfiltered conversation about labor, identity, sacrifice, and the true cost of becoming a doctor.If you’ve ever wondered why residents are burning out, or lived through it yourself, this episode will hit hard.🎧 New episodes of Cut & Tell every Thursday.