Becoming MD

How to Keep Your Identity Outside of Medical School with Avery Wooten

• Caitlin Calland, M2 Medical Student • Episode 10

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0:00 | 37:31

Medical school has a subtle way of shrinking your identity.

At some point, many of us stop introducing ourselves as people and start introducing ourselves as students.

Your wins become exam scores.

Your losses become evaluations.

Your sense of worth starts rising and falling with things that were never meant to define you in the first place.

And that’s a dangerous place to live.

I sat down with fourth-year medical student Avery Wooten to talk about something that doesn’t get discussed enough in medicine: How to build a life outside of medical school — while still pursuing excellence inside of it.

We talk about:
 • What it actually looks like to lose yourself in the grind
 • How hobbies, friendships, and life outside of medicine can protect your identity
 • Why waiting for “the next phase” to be happy is a trap many of us fall into
 • And how redefining success can make the journey far more fulfilling

If you’re a medical student who feels like your entire identity lives inside your academic performance… this episode is for you. Because becoming a doctor shouldn’t require losing who you are.

Connect with Avery Wooten:

Connect with Caitlin: