Switching Specialties in Residency | Dr. Liv Perez on Leaving Family Medicine for Dermatology

What happens when you realize your residency isn’t the right fit - after you’ve already started?In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Dr. Olivia Perez (@drliv.md) shares her bold decision to leave family medicine after intern year and successfully reapply to dermatology. She opens up about the doubts, the guilt, and the logistics of making such a high-stakes switch, and why two “lost” years are nothing compared to decades of fulfillment in the right specialty.We talk about:– Recognizing when you’re in the wrong field and finding the courage to pivot– How Dr. Perez navigated ERAS, planning, and backup options– The role of mentorship and seeing examples outside medicine– The psychological fallacies that keep doctors stuck in the wrong path– Why enjoying the day-to-day matters more than chasing the “shiny object” at the endDr. Perez’s story is a powerful reminder that the straight path isn’t the only one, and that sometimes the bravest move is to start over.Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MDGuest: Dr. Liv PerezConnect with Liv:Substack: https://drliv.substack.com/IG & TikTok: @drliv.mdPresented 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 Sep 16, 2025

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Switching Specialties in Residency | Dr. Liv Perez on Leaving Family Medicine for Dermatology

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