Episodes
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No one teaches physicians how to find their first job.
After years of medical school and residency, new attendings are suddenly expected to navigate networking, interviews, contracts, compensation, and career decisions, often with little guidance.
In this episode of Cut & Tell, newly graduated plastic surgeon Dr. Liz Malphrus shares everything she learned during her own physician job search. From building a professional online presence and expanding your network to evaluating job offers, negotiating contracts, and avoiding common mistakes, this is the practical guide she wishes she'd had before starting the process.
Whether you're entering residency, fellowship, or preparing for your first attending position, these lessons can help you approach the job search with confidence.
Topics discussed:
When to start looking for your first physician jobWhy networking matters more than job boardsBuilding your professional online presenceCold emailing and reaching out to practicesQuestions to ask during physician interviewsUnderstanding compensation and partnership tracksWhy every physician needs a contract attorneyEvaluating practice culture and red flagsHow Dr. Malphrus found her first attending positionMaking the transition from resident to attendingCut & Tell explores the realities of surgical training, career transitions, and building a meaningful life in medicine.
Host: Liz Malphrus, MD
Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md
IG: @dr.malphrus
Produced By: The Hippocratic Collective
Subscribe to @hippocraticcollective on Youtube for all of the other shows and content the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
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After six years of surgical residency, I expected to leave with better technical skills. I didn't expect to leave without one of my defining personality traits.
In this episode of Cut & Tell, I share the story of how a formal complaint from a senior resident completely changed how I saw myself, and ultimately forced me to stop trying to make everyone happy.
We talk about:
Why medicine attracts people pleasersHow hierarchy can shape your identityLearning to have difficult conversations with patientsThe emotional toll of residency politicsWhy not everyone has to like youHow losing my reputation helped me find my voiceIf you're a resident, medical student, physician, or anyone who's struggled with conflict, perfectionism, or the need for approval, I hope this episode reminds you that sometimes the strongest version of yourself only emerges after disappointing someone else.
đ§ Subscribe for honest conversations about life after residency, surgery, identity, and building a career on your own terms.
Host: Liz Malphrus, MD
Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md
IG: @dr.malphrus
Produced By: The Hippocratic Collective
Subscribe to @hippocraticcollective on Youtube for all of the other shows and content the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
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Missing episodes?
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What actually makes a great chief resident?
After finishing plastic surgery residency, Dr. Liz Malphrus reflects on one of the most important leadership roles in medical training, and the lessons no one formally teaches. From setting expectations and managing team dynamics to giving meaningful feedback and building trust, this episode is a practical guide for anyone preparing to lead in residency.
Dr. Malphrus shares the communication strategies that transformed her approach as chief resident, why vague feedback hurts more than it helps, and how supporting curiosity can create stronger teams and better physicians. Whether you're an intern, senior resident, future chief, or attending looking to mentor trainees, these leadership principles extend far beyond medicine.
In this episode:
How to develop your own leadership styleWhy communication is the foundation of great teamsSetting expectations from day oneGiving feedback that's immediate, specific, and actionableAvoiding the biggest mistakes chief residents makeBuilding team morale while maintaining accountabilityWhy curiosity is one of the most important leadership skillsIf you're navigating residency, preparing for chief year, or interested in leadership in healthcare, this episode offers practical advice you can apply immediately.
Subscribe for more honest conversations about residency, surgical training, physician life, and the realities of modern medicine.
Host: Liz Malphrus, MD
Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md
IG: @dr.malphrus
Produced By: The Hippocratic Collective
Subscribe to @hippocraticcollective on Youtube for all of the other shows and content the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
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Starting residency can feel overwhelming. New city, new hospital, new responsibilities, and suddenly everyone expects you to know what you're doing.
In this episode of Cut & Tell, graduating plastic surgery resident Dr. Liz Malphrus shares her most requested advice for incoming interns. Drawing on six years of residency experience, she breaks down the physical, cognitive, and psychological strategies that helped her survive, and ultimately thrive, during training.
From building sustainable study habits and protecting your sleep to finding community, seeking therapy, and learning how to navigate the constant feeling of not knowing enough, this episode is a practical guide for anyone beginning residency.
Topics discussed:
Intern year survival tipsPhysical readiness: sleep, food, movement, and gearBuilding effective study habits during residencyLearning from your patientsHow to study when you have no free timeFinding community in a new cityManaging stress, anxiety, and burnoutWhy therapy can be an important part of residencyPersonal mantras that helped through trainingWhat every new intern should knowWhether you're starting residency this summer or simply remember what it felt like to be an intern, this episode is a reminder that you don't have to figure everything out on day one.
Host: Liz Malphrus, MD
Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md
IG: @dr.malphrus
Produced By: The Hippocratic Collective
Subscribe to @hippocraticcollective on Youtube for all of the other shows and content the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.
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Residents today earn roughly the same inflation-adjusted salary as residents did decades ago. So why does training feel so much more financially difficult?
In this episode of Cut & Tell, plastic surgery resident Dr. Liz Malphrus explores the economic realities facing modern traineesâfrom exploding medical school debt and rising housing costs to childcare expenses, delayed financial independence, and the growing gap between resident compensation and the true cost of becoming a physician.
This is the second installment in the "Back in My Day" series, examining how residency has changed over time. Rather than debating which generation had it harder, Dr. Malphrus argues that the conditions surrounding medical training have fundamentally changedâand that understanding those changes is essential if we want to improve graduate medical education.
Topics discussed:
Resident salaries then vs. nowMedical school debt and rising education costsGME funding and resident compensationHousing, childcare, and cost-of-living pressuresWhy many residents struggle financially despite being physiciansThe changing demographics of residency trainingSingle-parent households and residencyWhy "back in my day" misses the bigger pictureMoving beyond the suffering Olympics in medicineCut & Tell explores the realities of surgical training, medicine, and the systems shaping physician life today.
Subscribe for new episodes and visit the Hippocratic Collective for more conversations about the future of medicine.
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Attendings often tell stories about residency "back in the day" - more autonomy, more responsibility, more independence. But was training really better, or has the entire system changed?
In this episode of Cut & Tell, plastic surgery resident Dr. Liz Malphrus explores why modern residents often report feeling less prepared for independent practice despite performing similar case volumes to previous generations. From duty-hour debates and supervision requirements to RVU-based compensation and the growing pressure for clinical productivity, she examines the structural forces reshaping surgical education.
This isn't a conversation about whether residency is easier or harder. It's about understanding how the training environment has changed, and what that means for autonomy, burnout, and the future of medical education.
Topics discussed:
Why case numbers don't tell the whole storyResident autonomy and surgical confidenceThe impact of RVU-based compensation on teachingAcademic medicine's productivity pressuresWhy more residents pursue fellowship trainingThe relationship between autonomy and burnoutHow surgical education has evolved over the past two decadesWhat attendings and residents can learn from each otherCut & Tell is a podcast exploring the realities of surgical training, medicine, and life beyond the operating room.
Subscribe for new episodes and visit the Hippocratic Collective for more conversations about the culture of medicine.
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What if the most important lessons of residency aren't found in a textbook?
With graduation just days away, Liz shares the three pieces of writing that most shaped her understanding of medicine, residency, and life beyond training. From the realities of surgical culture and physician burnout to the hidden history of American healthcare and the power of personal agency, these recommendations offer a framework for understanding not just residency, but your place within the system.
In this episode, Liz discusses:
- Why Surgeon on the Edge by Frances Mei Hardin is the residency memoir she recommends over The House of God
- What The Social Transformation of American Medicine reveals about the forces shaping modern healthcare
- Why the essay How to Be More Agentic by Kate Hall may be the most important 10-minute read for physicians
- How understanding systems can make you a more effective doctor
- The mindset shifts Liz wishes she had before starting residency
Whether you're a medical student, resident, attending physician, or simply interested in the realities of modern medicine, this episode offers a practical reading list for anyone trying to make sense of the profession, and build a career with intention.
đ§ New episodes of Cut & Tell every Thursday.
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What makes a good resident? And beyond that â what actually makes someone great?
In this episode of Cut & Tell, Dr. Liz Malphrus breaks down the unwritten skills of residency that no one formally teaches: anticipation, adaptability, reading the room, emotional resilience, communication, and learning how to survive medicine without becoming robotic in the process.
From OR etiquette and closed-loop communication to social anxiety, burnout, and the strange art of staying positive during training, this is an honest conversation about the human side of becoming a doctor.
Whether youâre a medical student, intern, resident, or just trying to survive a high-pressure environment, this episode is a candid look at the traits that actually matter â and why all of them can be learned.
Cut & Tell is where medicine gets honest.
https://sashachapin.substack.com/p/my-six-stages-of-learning-to-be-a
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Cut & Tell is where medicine gets honest.
In this episode, Dr. Liz Malphrus opens up about the failures, regrets, rejections, and detours that never make it onto a CV. From getting a C in biology at Columbia, to losing out on a White House job she thought would define her future, to walking away from a career in music â Liz reflects on the moments she once believed had ruined everything.
This is a conversation about perfectionism, identity, career pivots, rejection, and the pressure in medicine to package every setback into a clean success story. Instead of a polished resume, this episode is an anti-resume: a candid look at the messy reality behind becoming a doctor.
If youâve ever felt behind, rejected, uncertain, or like your path hasnât gone according to plan â this oneâs for you.
đ§ New episodes of Cut & Tell every Thursday.
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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 jobânot âjust trainingâHow the system keeps residents financially powerlessThe reality of working 80-hour weeks for low payWhy residents canât simply âleaveâ 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 youâve ever wondered why residents are burning out, or lived through it yourself, this episode will hit hard.
đ§ New episodes of Cut & Tell every Thursday.
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Cut & Tell is where medicine gets honest.
In this first episode, Dr. Liz Malphrus, a plastic surgery chief resident, opens up about what residency is actually like, beyond the polished narratives. From the hidden curriculum of training to the emotional weight of becoming a surgeon, this is a candid look at the parts of medicine that are usually left unsaid.
She shares:
Why residency culture is built on silenceThe paradox of learning on real patientsHow competition and comparison evolve over timeWhy the first year in practice may be the hardestThe problem with traditional âadviceâAnd what it means to document this transition in real timeThis episode sets the tone for the show: unfiltered conversations about training, identity, and the reality of becoming a physician.
If youâve ever wondered what residency is really likeâor lived it yourselfâthis is the conversation youâve been waiting for.
đ§ New episodes of Cut & Tell every Thursday.
