In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances sits down with Helena (A.YoungDoctors.Journey), an emergency medicine physician redefining what early attending life can look like.

Fresh out of residency, she chose a path many physicians are warned against: full-time locum tenens work. What follows is an honest, nuanced conversation about autonomy, uncertainty, and what it means to build a career outside the traditional script.

They unpack:

1. The hidden fear of showing up online as a physician
2. Why “freedom of time” became non-negotiable
3. The reality of 1099 vs W-2 (explained simply)
4. Early attending insecurity—and why it’s universal
5. The myth that more years = better doctor
6. Travel, money, and the unexpected perks of locums
7. And the deeper question: what are you choosing by staying where you are?

This is not a pitch for leaving medicine—or for locums.

It’s a conversation about choice, agency, and expanding what feels possible.

Because the goal isn’t one path.

It’s knowing you have options.

A.YoungDoctors.Journey is an emergency medicine physician and recent residency graduate, and spends far too much of her free time posting about life in medicine on social media.

She completed medical school in Budapest and matched as a US-IMG. Currently, she’s doing locum tenens full-time and is learning how to navigate finances, entrepreneurship and attending life as a 1099 contractor.

Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD

Guest: A.YoungDoctors.Journey

Connect with Helena: @a.youngdoctors.journey

www.ayoungdoctorsjourney.com

Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective

Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd

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In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei speaks with physician, writer, and documentary filmmaker Jessica Zitter, MD, whose work explores some of the most difficult, and most human, moments in medicine.

Dr. Zitter first gained international recognition through the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Extremis, which captured the emotional reality of end-of-life care inside the ICU. Since then, she has continued to use storytelling to challenge the culture of modern medicine.

Together, Frances and Jessica discuss:

• How physicians become powerful storytellers

• Why medical culture often silences trainees

• The toxic hierarchies embedded in healthcare training

• The emotional toll of ICU and end-of-life care

• Why compassion, communication, and palliative care principles should exist in every specialty—not just palliative medicine

Jessica also shares the story behind her newest documentary, The Chaplain and the Doctor, which follows her 15-year collaboration with a hospital chaplain and explores spirituality, bias, and humanity at the bedside.

This conversation explores how storytelling can transform medicine—from the ICU to the operating room—and why speaking honestly about medical culture may be the first step toward changing it.

Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD

Guest: Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH

Connect with Jessica: @jessicazitter

reelmedicinemedia.org

thechaplainandthedoctor.com

Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective

Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd

Jessica Zitter, MD, MPH is a documentary filmmaker, writer, physician, and founder of Reel Medicine Media, a non-profit devoted to using story to transform and humanize medical culture. Dr. Zitter is the primary featured subject and a member of the team that created the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary “Extremis (2016).”

She went on to direct and produce the award-winning documentary “Caregiver: A Love Story (2020),” which examines the growing crisis of family caregiver burden in the United States. Her third documentary, “The Chaplain & The Doctor (2025)” explores the transformative relationship between a hospital chaplain and a physician challenging the fragmented clinical approach to patient care. Dr. Zitter’s book, “Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life” (2017), describes her evolution from a doctor focused on extending life at all costs to one more patient-centered and humanistic.

And subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.

n this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with urology resident and social media creator Maheetha Bharadwaj, MD—often known online as the internet’s favorite “dancing urologist.”

What begins with viral TikToks and Kardashian-style medical skits quickly turns into a deeper conversation about advocacy, physician voice, and the hidden curriculum of medical training. Maheetha explains how humor and creativity can be used to deliver serious health education—what Frances Mei calls “putting the medicine in the cheese.”

Together they explore:

• How doctors can use social media to educate patients

• The power of visibility for women and minorities in surgical specialties

• Why medicine’s hidden curriculum—not anatomy or pathophysiology—is often what breaks trainees

• Advocacy burnout and how physicians stay engaged without losing hope

• Why collaboration—not competition—may be the future of medicine

Maheetha also shares how her work now extends beyond Instagram and TikTok to state and national policy advocacy, speaking directly with legislators about issues affecting patient care.

This conversation is about creativity, courage, and the evolving role of physicians in public life—and why the next generation of doctors may change medicine by speaking out.

Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD

Guest: Maheetha Bharadwaj, MD

Connect with Maheetha: @dancing_uro_doc

https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/maheetha-bharadwaj-md

Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective

Follow Frances Mei on Instagram & Tiktok @francesmeimd

And subscribe to ⁨@HippocraticCollective⁩ on Youtube for all of the other shows the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.