Where Are They Now?
The Department of Anesthesiology has always had such wonderful people who have contributed to make it what it is today. We would like to know what some of our colleagues and friends who have moved on are doing now and how UMMC played a role in their careers and lives. If would like to be featured in future articles of the newsletter, please e-mail Sara Robertson at smbrobertson@umc.edu. We would love to hear from you!
CC Martin, M.D.
2019 Residency Class
2020 Pain Management Fellowship Class
Tell us about what you have been doing since you graduated from the residency program. What does your anesthesia practice look like? How did UMMC prepare you for your current career?
I completed the Pain fellowship at UMMC in 2020 immediately following graduation from residency in 2019. I'm now a partner at Total Pain Care, practicing in my hometown of Meridian, Mississippi. We are a private practice with multiple locations across the state. Most physicians in our practice are UMMC grads! As far as my day-to-day, I'm in the ASC driving needles for most of the work week. I continue to do general anesthesia work on a locum tenens basis around the state. I'll do a long weekend or so per month because I hate free time.
In a general anesthesia sense, the variety of pathology at the U helped develop a level of confidence and comfort that is applicable in almost any hospital setting. If you can safely take care of patients at UMMC, you can do it anywhere.
What did you enjoy most about being a resident in this program?
The people are the best part. From nurses to techs to attendings and especially co-residents, there are a lot of good people at the U. The relationships and connections made while in the program last well beyond that time.
If you could give any advice to our current trainees, what would it be?
Do all the cases. Short, long, quick and easy, or nerve-racking and complex. There is no replacement for repetition. Developing a fund of knowledge and wide set of skills comes naturally with real world experience. Do it all and do it well!
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Tell us about what you have been doing since you graduated from the residency program. What does your anesthesia practice look like? How did UMMC prepare you for your current career?
I’m practicing interventional pain in my hometown of Amarillo, TX. My husband and I are both physicians and we feel fortunate to have found fulfilling jobs here. My practice is quite busy, which I enjoy. It’s funny to return to your roots and find yourself treating familiar faces– your middle school coach, your mother’s friend’s aunt, your elementary school teacher’s husband, your childhood Sunday school teacher, and community leaders. This close-knit connection to my community makes my work satisfying, and I’m proud to provide high quality care to my community. I work four days a week splitting my time evenly between my clinic and our ASC doing procedures. My practice operates very efficiently allowing me to see about 5-10 new patients, a sprinkle of follow ups, and perform about 10-20 procedures in a day. My days are busy, though it makes the week go by fast. I feel I have an excellent work-life balance.
I believe it was Dr. Prem who joked that an interventional pain fellowship would “teach you everything from A to C.” He was correct in that there is always more to learn, though I couldn’t have asked more from my fellowship program, other than perhaps not doing it during COVID. I felt well-prepared to jump straight into a busy practice.
What did you enjoy most about being a resident in this program?
I think my favorite part of being a resident was (as cliche as it may sound) learning how to handle anything that comes your way. If you’ve worked at UMMC you’ve seen a thing or two. My husband and I had three children during training and to be quite honest most of my residency was a complete blur. Now we laugh about it and wonder how on earth we survived. I have vague memories of carrying 6 pagers, showing up at 5:45 AM as a new CA-1 to set up my room (how on earth did it take that long?), 3 AM gunshot wounds and 7 STAT C-sections in a single call. There were times that residency was greuling, yet I have nothing but fond memories thanks to my hilarious co-residents.
If you could give any advice to our current trainees, what would it be?
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
-Maya Angelou
I have this quote displayed in my office because I believe it perfectly captures the essence of being a physician in an evolving field of medical knowledge. It’s important to make your best effort with what you have, even if it’s not perfect and you don’t know everything. Equally important is the commitment to continually learn and improve, staying mindful to change the way you practice as you evolve.
Also, “you catch more bees with honey.”