My first year out of fellowship, I was surrounded by two providers in clinic who had a combined 60 years of clinical practice. I learned more from them during that time than I did at any point during my training. This has allowed rapid growth for myself but has encouraged me to pass on my knowledge to younger providers. They also challenged me to not only concentrate on the spine but on the patient as a whole whether that is diagnosing osteopenia or finding vascular pathology in the setting of spinal pathology allowing the patient to achieve optimal function under my care rather than simply treating their spinal pathology.

My NASS journey began under the mentorship of Drs Dan Resnick and Than Brooks who are very involved in NASS and work clinically with me at Wisconsin. As I have become more involved, continued mentorship and friendship amongst the members has kept me coming back and striving for more involvement over the years. Each year has looked different for me but the professional and personal friendships that formed over a shared passion of enhancing spine care for patients has allowed me immense personal and professional growth. I know NASS members I can look to at any time for assistance with patient care, UW or NASS leadership/growth opportunities, and overall career mentorship.

Speak up! Do not let imposter syndrome stop you from sharing your valuable ideas. Share your ideas and look to make connections with individuals who find your ideas as interesting as you do. Perhaps those individuals will give their advice on how they’ve approached similar issues or they will help you advance your ideas to be the next podium speaker. Get out of your comfort zone and meet new people as NASS is full of bright, talented mentor-focused members eager to help one another.