October 2022
Veerain Gupta, PGY1
V! How is your intern year going?
It has been a challenge but it's been good. I don't know if I was ready for the switch from being a fourth year Med student to being an intern but I think it's definitely gotten better as the months have gone on. It has been really nice to be someone's doctor and be able to do something about it.
Tell me about a growth moment from this year or something that you're never going to forget from your first few months of residency.
When I was on EGS my second month I was with one of the chief residents and I've actually had the chance to just be with the same chief at the VA. I learned from them that I can trust my gut and that I can like feel empowered to do more things for my patients.
What have you picked up or gleaned from your general surgery rotations that you will carry forward in practice?
Being at the VA on general surgery currently, we do a lot of bowel surgery and I’ve helped dealing with all complications that come up with bowel surgery. I think it's been really cool to see how the general surgery attendings and chief residents managed that. Even when I'm in a thyroid case and it feels like nothing is going to apply, there are small things that that you can pick up.
Enough about work, tell us about your family! Do you have any siblings?
I have a sister, she lives in Houston. She is married and has a child who is the actual love of my life. She's 13 months old and her name is Kavya. I miss her a lot.
Do you get out to Houston frequently to see them?
I was able to get to her first birthday party after starting residency which was awesome. Before residency I was able to more than I am now, but something I try to do is FaceTime them in the evening. Her bedtime is 7:00 PM which is unfortunate, but whenever I can, I try to FaceTime just to get a chance to say hello to her and it always brightens my day.
I know you're into tennis…you and I have talked about that, but what else do you do to get some exercise outside of residency or to keep yourself busy when you do have some free time?
I used to play basketball in my past life. I try to play sometimes here and there but I now have two reconstructed ACLs so I don't play as much anymore. In Med school I got into running because one of my roommates was a big runner. I ran a 1/2 marathon last November and I've been getting a little bit more into it now and might try to sign up for something soon. I also really enjoy hikes and walks. I’m in the hospital so much that I start to miss just being outside.
What has been your favorite hike around Nashville?
The one that I have done the most is probably the Percy Priest Mossy Ridge trail. It’s 4 ½ - 5 miles, so it takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. It is nice because you can kind of just get away and you don't really see cars or anything, it's just wilderness.
What is your favorite food item in the hospital, and more importantly, favorite cuisine or thing you like to cook or eat outside of the hospital?
In the hospital I love the make your own sandwich station. I make my own spinach wrap with all of the toppings and chicken and it's so good with the bag of chips on the side. That's a real treat yourself situation. You need to have some time though because it takes forever to stand in that line, you really have to be committed.
Outside of that I love to cook Indian food. I like to challenge myself and make stuff that my mom used to make when I was growing up. I always mess it up. I can make some a pretty good chicken tikka masala and some Saag Paneer. I recently tried to make Rajma, which is just kidney beans. I had my mom on FaceTime trying to tell me what to do, but it was still a fail. So, I'm still a work in progress.
OK a few rapid fire questions per pathway:
In your attending life, is your car going to be old reliable or fancy hot rod? I currently drive a Honda Civic so I’m going to say old reliable.
Favorite urology case? The most fun I’ve had in the OR was when I was a med student doing a hydrocelectomy with George, so that's probably my favorite right now.
Favorite film or television show? Ted Lasso makes me feel really nice and it makes me feel like there are good humans in the world.
Irrespective of cost or time, where’s your dream vacation? Japan! I want to try all the food!
Interview conducted by Jacob Tallman, MD