Miscellaneous
As someone who started creating her own books when she was two, Dr. Maria Baimas-George believed she would grow up to become an author. When she fell in love with science and went on to medical school, Dr. Baimas-George found herself writing and drawing to de-stress. “Growing up, I loved English and I loved science, and now I feel like they are merging, which is wonderful,” Dr. Baimas-George says of her newfound side hustle. She’s a surgical resident by day, and an author and illustrator by weekend. In this episode of Prosperous Doc®, our host Shane Tenny, CFP®, welcomes Dr. Baimas-George, a surgical resident at Carolinas Medical Center of Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina. In addition to discussing her medical career, Dr. Baimas-Georges tells us about her children’s book series, “The Strength of My Scars: Pediatric Surgical Chronicles,” and the path that led her to create such meaningful work. Dr. Baimas-George’s first-hand experience in the pediatric surgery service shed light on the information that gets lost in translation between patients, their caregivers, and physicians. Physicians speaking in medical jargon to patients and their families who are already anxious and scared is not beneficial. Dr. Baimas-George’s series provides both caregivers and children with understandable information they can process more readily in times of high emotion. “We saw a significant benefit in satisfaction, comprehension or understanding, and [decreased] apprehension or stress in caregivers and parents of patients undergoing common pediatric surgeries,” Dr. Baimas-George says of a controlled study conducted at Carolinas Medical Center. Dr. Baimas-George’s medical and authorial future is as bright as the lights on her OR table. She is a true testament to the power of following your passions wherever they might take you. ? Featured Expert ?Name: Dr. Maria Baimas-George, MD MPH What she does: Dr. Baimas-George is a surgical resident working at Carolinas Medical Center of Atrium Health in Charlotte, North Carolina. From her first-hand experience with pediatric patients, Dr. Baimas-George has created a children’s book series, “The Strength of My Scars: Pediatric Surgical Chronicles,” explaining medical procedures and terms, and calming fears surrounding health-related issues. Company: https://atriumhealth.org/ (Atrium Health) | https://www.linkedin.com/company/atrium-health-us/ (LinkedIn) | https://twitter.com/AtriumHealth (Twitter) Words of wisdom: “Scars should be embraced. It shows that we’ve overcome adversity.” Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-baimas-george-md-mph-5b947a203/ (LinkedIn) | https://twitter.com/Mbaimasgeorge (Twitter) | https://strengthofmyscars.com/ (Books Website) | https://www.instagram.com/thestrengthofmyscars/ (Books Instagram) | https://twitter.com/strengthmyscars (Books Twitter) | https://www.facebook.com/thestrengthofmyscars (Books Facebook) ? On the Money ?Top takeaways from this episode ★ Follow your bliss. From writing to art to science classes to medical school, Dr. Baimas-George always followed her passions. Now working in an OR and writing and illustrating meaningful works for children and their caregivers, she gets to use two of her interests to make a difference in the lives of her patients. ★ Cross your t’s and dot your i’s. Although she is independently publishing her works, Dr. Baimas-George ensures she is producing the absolute best resources for patients. She has the medical facts checked and approved by doctoral peers and mentors, has the books proofread for spelling and grammar, and has coworkers read through to make sure the story and information is sound. ★ Ask for help. For Dr. Baimas-George, asking for help in the form of a grant was the best decision she could have made. Receiving a grant from the...