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!
John Lutz, M.D. (2015 UMMC Anesthesiology Residency Graduate)
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?
Since I graduated residency, I’ve been with Lakeland Anesthesia, a private practice here in town. The majority of our practice involves taking care of OB-GYN, plastics, and breast cancer patients. I'm very proud to have been a part of developing and implementing a robust regional approach to taking care of the breast cancer patients at our hospital. Although I have really enjoyed my current job, I am excited to transition into the Pain Management fellowship at UMMC in 2022.
What did you enjoy most about being a resident in this program?
The thing I enjoyed the most about this program is getting to know all my co-residents. I developed some really strong friendships over the four years I was here, and that is something I will have the rest of my life.
If you could give any advice to our current trainees, what would it be?
My advice to the current residents is to do and see as much as you can as a resident. You will get as much out of residency as you put into it. In private practice, there will be times where you are the only anesthesiologist in the hospital, and you need to be able to take care of anything that comes your way.
Magdalena (Maggie) Tesmer, M.D. (2015 UMMC Anesthesiology Residency Graduate)
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?
After graduating from the UMMC anesthesia residency program, I returned back to the Los Angeles area in Southern California. I am currently practicing general anesthesiology at the same location in which I started after I left UMMC in 2015. I work at two small community hospitals under the Prime umbrella in Sherman Oaks and Encino. A year and a half into working at these locations, I became the Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and have maintained the title ever since.
I am very grateful for all the experiences and education that UMMC and the staff have provided me with. The case variety, as well as their acuity levels, helped me become confident in my practice. I feel as though if I could do the cases at UMMC, then I can do cases anywhere.
What did you enjoy most about being a resident in this program?
What I enjoyed most about the UMMC program was working with, being challenged by and feeling support from my attendings, my co-residents and the OR staff on a daily basis. My knowledge, professional skills, confidence and interpersonal skills grew exponentially while I was there and I will always remember everyone very warmly and fondly.
If you could give any advice to our current trainees, what would it be?
While in residency, take control of your education. Expose yourself to as much as possible. Do it for yourself and your future patients. If you're in the on call room because there is "nothing going on" and no one telling you to do something, close your eyes and imagine being the only anesthesiologist on call in a hospital when an emergency comes in. In those seconds, did you prepare yourself to the best of your abilities to provide the safest possible care and make the best possible choices? Could you have done more in residency to make yourself a better physician? Believe me, even to this day, 6 years out... it can be scary sometimes!
Once you get out there into the real world, have faith and confidence in yourselves but also be humble enough to know your limitations. Ask for help when needed and don't be afraid to say no and challenge surgeons and administrators when something is not in the best interest of the patient. Treat every patient as if they were your own mother, father, sibling or child on that operating room table. Do for the patient, what you would do for your very own loved ones!
If anyone is looking for opportunities in Southern California, don't hesitate to reach out. Our group is hiring!