Dr. Jennifer D’Amico studied at the New York College of Podiatric Medicine and completed her residency at Scripps Mercy/Kaiser San Diego. She went on to complete an AO Trauma Fellowship at Insel Spital in Bern, Switzerland and then an Adult and Pediatric Limb Deformity and Reconstruction Fellowship at the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics in Baltimore, Maryland. She has been in practice for 7.5 years. Here she discusses details of her profession, offers advice, and shares kind comments about her favorite teachers.
1. What’s your favorite part about your job?
“I don’t see it as a job, to me it’s a passion, a passion to make people better, sometimes its conservative, sometimes surgical and sometimes it’s just listening.”
2. What’s something you wish more patients would comply with?
“Overall, it’s the details of the instructions, elevation, icing taking pain meds as instructed, staying off when instructed.”
3. What’s the toughest part of your profession?
“Education. Podiatry is still a small but growing profession. Almost every day I have to educate a patient, a patient’s family member, a colleague, a nurse, PA, etc. regarding what I actually do.”
4. What advice do you have for students?
“Put in the work but don’t forget to relax and make a bit of time to do something fun, take a real holiday, a real vacation. Enjoy quality time with your family and friends.”
5. What advice do you have for residents?
“Never forget that it is a privilege to treat someone else’s patients, to learn in a protected environment and to be given the scalpel. Show up prepared for the case, or clinic. Remember that all types of patient encounters will add to what you must offer as a clinician.”
6. Are you working on any research?
“I am starting a project to look back at our mission experiences.”
7. Other than podiatric medicine what is one of your passions?
“Travel. I love to see the what is out there for myself, pictures are beautiful but I love the 4-d experience travelling gives you. I love to explore little known places, off the beaten path things and silly “world’s largest, tallest, biggest” things.”
8. What do you do when you have a bad day to keep going?
“First of all, although it may sound harsh, your patients don’t care what’s going on in your life, they are there for one reason. If you focus on your work, being present, listening to your patient and push whatever terrible thing you are dealing with away, during working hours, you will get through it. That is not to say, don’t deal with it, just not during work. Seek out help for what you are dealing with, make time for yourself, self-care is very important, just don’t bring it into the OR, or clinic. Your staff is not your whipping post, don’t take it out on them.”
9. How do you juggle your work life balance?
“Say NO. make time for yourself. Yes, we go into this field to help people, putting yourself into an early grave is no way to do it. Schedule your family, personal things first, then if your schedule is flexible say yes. “Pay yourself first” this may not work so well when not in control of your own time, i.e. residency or fellowship, but in those times, make sure you schedule and TAKE your vacation time.”
10. Who was your favorite teacher and why?
“Dr. Daria Dykyj was the pioneer in flipping classrooms and engaging students, Lower extremity anatomy was an amazing course where we were following her guidance, adding muscles layer by layer, chunking the information in class. This was only matched by the engagement by Dr. Lawrence Lowy in podopediatrics where he was amazing at keeping us all in it even after the lunch break.”
Reflection
Thank you, Dr. Jennifer D’Amico, for your time, wisdom, and support. In the race towards residency, the thing I am most unsure of is how to keep going on the hard days, the days when we are exhausted or have gotten some bad news. Everyone has bad days, but I agree with you that we can’t displace that onto our patients or co-residents. And as an attending, while it may be easier said than done, I believe there it is neither helpful nor respectful to take it out on our team. I think we become good teachers by having good teachers, combined with an appreciation of self-improvement. The intersection of effective role models and motivation for self-evaluation is the cornerstone of empowerment for us to grow as doctors. Furthermore, the reason I reached out to Dr. D’Amico for this interview in the first place is over the last three years, she has been one of my favorite teachers. Moreover, during her time at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, CA, she was my Advisor. Dr. D’Amico showcases her skills in the OR and clinic every day, but behind the scenes in her University office she also proved to be a superstar. I am so grateful to Dr. D’Amico for her attentiveness to the details of my struggles and successes. During my first semester, Dr. D’Amico reviewed biomechanical concepts with me one on one, and she reviewed in depth test questions that I didn’t score correct the first time around. When I went to the emergency room for a 105 degree fever the day of our podiatry final exam, she went above and beyond to be there for me at 5 AM. The next month, when I ruptured discs in my neck, she supported me as a confidant and friend for over a year. The list goes on, and I was only one student of many to whom Dr. D’Amico is a mentor. I cannot thank her enough for all she has done for me, my cohort, and our University. I aim to emulate the compassion she expresses towards her team members and her patients. Keep on shining bright, Dr. D’Amico!
