Starting your first attending job means more than just showing up on day one. It means building an entire practice from the ground up.

In this episode of Cut & Tell, I take you behind the scenes of what it actually takes to launch a career as a plastic surgeon, from spending nearly $10,000 in a single day on essential equipment to building my website, planning patient workflows, setting up my office, and figuring out how to create a practice that reflects my values.

We talk about:

• The expensive equipment every plastic surgeon needs (and what's actually worth buying)

• Why I invested in a professional camera system and surgical headlight

• Building my surgeon website and optimizing it for SEO

• Creating a patient experience from the very first visit

• Marketing yourself as a new attending physician

• Preparing for board certification and practice ownership

• The transition from residency to real-world practice

Whether you're a medical student, resident, early-career physician, or just curious about what happens after surgical training, this episode offers an honest look at one of the biggest transitions in a surgeon's career.

Subscribe for more conversations about medicine, surgery, physician life, and building a career beyond residency.

Host: Liz Malphrus, MD

Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md

IG: @dr.malphrus

Produced By: The Hippocratic Collective

Subscribe to @hippocraticcollective on Youtube for all of the other shows and content the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.

No one teaches physicians how to find their first job.

After years of medical school and residency, new attendings are suddenly expected to navigate networking, interviews, contracts, compensation, and career decisions, often with little guidance.

In this episode of Cut & Tell, newly graduated plastic surgeon Dr. Liz Malphrus shares everything she learned during her own physician job search. From building a professional online presence and expanding your network to evaluating job offers, negotiating contracts, and avoiding common mistakes, this is the practical guide she wishes she'd had before starting the process.

Whether you're entering residency, fellowship, or preparing for your first attending position, these lessons can help you approach the job search with confidence.

Topics discussed:

• When to start looking for your first physician job
• Why networking matters more than job boards
• Building your professional online presence
• Cold emailing and reaching out to practices
• Questions to ask during physician interviews
• Understanding compensation and partnership tracks
• Why every physician needs a contract attorney
• Evaluating practice culture and red flags
• How Dr. Malphrus found her first attending position
• Making the transition from resident to attending

Cut & Tell explores the realities of surgical training, career transitions, and building a meaningful life in medicine.

Host: Liz Malphrus, MD

Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md

IG: @dr.malphrus

Produced By: The Hippocratic Collective

Subscribe to @hippocraticcollective on Youtube for all of the other shows and content the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.

After six years of surgical residency, I expected to leave with better technical skills. I didn't expect to leave without one of my defining personality traits.

In this episode of Cut & Tell, I share the story of how a formal complaint from a senior resident completely changed how I saw myself, and ultimately forced me to stop trying to make everyone happy.

We talk about:

• Why medicine attracts people pleasers
• How hierarchy can shape your identity
• Learning to have difficult conversations with patients
• The emotional toll of residency politics
• Why not everyone has to like you
• How losing my reputation helped me find my voice

If you're a resident, medical student, physician, or anyone who's struggled with conflict, perfectionism, or the need for approval, I hope this episode reminds you that sometimes the strongest version of yourself only emerges after disappointing someone else.

🎧 Subscribe for honest conversations about life after residency, surgery, identity, and building a career on your own terms.

Host: Liz Malphrus, MD

Connect with Liz: https://www.hippocratic-collective.com/members/liz-malphrus-md

IG: @dr.malphrus

Produced By: The Hippocratic Collective

Subscribe to @hippocraticcollective on Youtube for all of the other shows and content the Hippocratic Collective has to offer.