What happens when life doesn’t wait for training to end?

In this episode of Surgeon, Interrupted, Frances Mei sits down with ENT surgeon Dr. Kelly Schmidt to talk about a reality rarely discussed in medicine: navigating fertility, miscarriage, and pregnancy during residency.

What begins as a straightforward plan to “just have a baby” quickly becomes something else—cycles that don’t work, loss that doesn’t pause training, and the disorienting experience of trying to solve a problem that effort alone can’t fix.

Kelly shares her story openly—from miscarrying while on call to continuing to work through grief, to eventually building a path forward with fertility treatment and advocacy.

This episode covers:

• Trying to conceive during residency
• Miscarriage while on call—and returning to work
• The emotional toll of infertility in high-achievers
• What actually helps (and what doesn’t) when supporting someone
• Navigating FMLA and time off during training
• How to advocate for yourself in a rigid system

If you’ve ever felt like medicine leaves no room for real life—this conversation is for you.

Host: Frances Mei Hardin, MD

Guest: Kelly Schmidt, MD

Connect with Kelly: @kschmidt93

Presented by: The Hippocratic Collective

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