What are residency programs actually looking for during interviews?

In this episode of FEM, MD, Dr. Lauren Umstattd shares residency interview advice from both sides of the table. She has been a medical student interviewing for residency, a chief resident interviewing applicants, a fellowship candidate, part of the fellowship interview process, and now a business owner who regularly hires for her own practice.

Her biggest advice? Once you have made it to the interview, your CV has already gotten you into the room. The interview is about something different: Are you someone they can trust, teach, and work beside at 2 a.m. when things get hard?

Lauren breaks down the three qualities she looked for most in residency applicants: calmness, intelligence and resourcefulness, and curiosity. She also covers the biggest residency interview red flags, how to prepare without sounding rehearsed, what questions you should always be ready to answer, why you should never say you have no questions for the program, and how to take some of the pressure out of interview season.

Whether you're applying to surgery, medicine, or another residency specialty, this episode offers a candid look at what happens on the other side of the interview table and how to show up as yourself.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

See more shows and content at hippocratic-collective.com

The biggest threat to a surgeon's career may not be competition, reimbursement, or even the changing healthcare system. It may be their own body and mind.

In the final episode of The Business of Surgery, facial plastic surgeon Dr. Lauren Umstattd explores what it takes to build a surgical career that can actually last. For Lauren, that means treating herself like the high-performance athlete she is: protecting her physical health, caring for her mind, and intentionally building systems that make the hardest days sustainable.

From 90-second microbreaks in the operating room and surgical ergonomics to sleep, nutrition, coaching, self-regulation, and protecting your relationship with your work, Lauren shares the practices she uses to preserve both her body and her desire to keep operating.

In this episode:

• Why surgeons should think of themselves as high-performance athletes
• Protecting your neck and spine in the operating room
• The power of 90-second surgical microbreaks
• Improving surgical ergonomics
• Why sleep and nutrition matter for career longevity
• Protecting your mental health as a surgeon
• What Lauren learned from working with a surgeon coach
• Using curiosity instead of frustration
• Self-regulation in high-stress environments
• Building systems and guardrails for difficult days
• Creating a surgical career you still want decades from now

This is Episode 12 and the finale of The Business of Surgery, a FEM, MD series about what it really takes to build, lead, and sustain a physician-owned surgical practice.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

See more shows and content at hippocratic-collective.com

What if one of the best investments you could make in your career had nothing to do with your actual business?

In Episode 11 of The Business of Surgery, facial plastic surgeon, practice owner, and mom Dr. Lauren Umstattd shares why bringing an au pair into her home became one of the most consequential decisions she made for her business. With two young children and two working parents, reliable childcare didn't just make home life easier—it gave Lauren the security to operate, see patients, and lead her practice without constantly wondering what would happen when school closed or a child got sick.

Lauren walks through the entire experience: why a traditional nanny didn't work for their family, how the au pair program works, what it costs, interviewing and choosing someone to live in your home, navigating boundaries, and what she would do differently next time.

In this episode:

• Why childcare is a business issue for working parents
• Au pair vs. nanny
• How the au pair program works
• What an au pair actually does
• The cost of hosting an au pair
• How Lauren interviewed and selected her au pair
• Managing childcare with an inflexible physician schedule
• The mental load of being a working mother
• Setting boundaries with someone who lives in your home
• The unexpected benefits of cultural exchange
• Whether Lauren would hire an au pair again

The Business of Surgery is a 12-part FEM, MD series exploring the realities of building a physician-owned surgical practice—and the life required to sustain it.

Host: Dr. Lauren Umstattd

Connect with Lauren: @lauren_umstattd_md

Produced by: The Hippocratic Collective

See more shows and content at hippocratic-collective.com