Thank a Resident & Fellow Day with Molly Hulbert, M.D.
What drew you to medicine?
I was first turned on to medicine by the movie “Patch Adams” with Robin Williams, when I was about seven or eight years old. The movie is about a doctor who is being tried for not providing what care was available, but instead trying to make people happy and treat the whole patient, rather than just their disease. Movies like that and “Awakenings” made me feel really inspired.
I also had great doctors when I was younger, including an orthopedic surgeon when I needed treatment for non-operative injuries I got while figure skating. I was drawn to sports from a very young age, so when I was younger, I was always looking for a job that might be related to sports. While I realized that my body was going to give out before I could be the athlete I wanted to be, I was into science and there were other sports-related jobs I could pursue. To me, those two coming together led to orthopedics.
What is the toughest part of residency, and what keeps you going through it?
The hardest part of residency is trying to juggle learning, being a good doctor, and then everything else outside residency, like friendships and family. You can’t know what it’s like until you do it. No matter how much people could tell me what residency is like, it’s definitely a challenge you don’t understand until you go through it. Part of it is that you’re getting pressure to perform constantly. You need to figure out what you need to do to recharge so you can keep moving forward.
What’s been the most rewarding part of being in the UC San Diego residency program?
The education here is second-to-none. I feel that every single attending physician is motivated to teach you how to become a great orthopedic surgeon.
Obviously, my co-residents are also really incredible. They’re always trying to keep morale high. We had to come together to understand what our “new normal” would look like over time. I think we’re all motivated to keep the program one of the best. That mindset we all share is very motivating to keep doing your best.
What do you like most about your fellow residents and the culture at the UC San Diego Department of Orthopaedic Surgery?
We all work really, really hard, and when we have time to hang out, we work hard at that too. That was something that I remember that I experienced on my interview day with the residency program. I thought, “Okay, I can see myself here with these people for that reason,” and that’s been upheld.
Do you have an idea of which specialty you’re leaning toward?
When I got into medical school, I tried to keep an open mind during rotations, I got to my pediatric orthopedics rotation and thought, “This is where I belong.” During my rotation at Rady’s, everyone told me that you realize you either love pediatrics or you don’t, and I was in love.