Bailey shares what’s next after MFM Fellowship

After three years of intense fellowship training in the UW Ob-Gyn Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Erin Bailey, MD, MS,  is preparing to graduate. Bailey shares what’s next after fellowship, the important lessons she will carry forward, and messages of gratitude for people who shaped her time in fellowship.

What are the most important things you learned during your fellowship? 

I learned a ton, I would say the ultrasound training has been where I’ve made the most progress. We have a very formalized curriculum which is very helpful, we learn to scan but also to read, which is a new skill to me since residency and I feel pretty comfortable with it by now. We learn how to manage a lot of competing interests at the same time, which is similar to residency but taking it a step further – you’re managing  the floor, labor patients, antepartum patients, taking transfer calls, fielding consults from other doctors all at the same time. And a big part of what I’ve been doing is working with Dr. Beninati to develop the accreta program, both learning how to do accretas well and how to preoperatively and postoperatively manage patients to maximize outcomes.

How do you feel UW Ob-Gyn prepared you for success after fellowship? 

I feel like the department was super supportive, and the program really allows fellows to individualize their training to maximize their time based on what they want to do coming out. I knew I wanted to be an academic, and I was able to focused on research and education in addition to clinical duties. I want to be very involved in the surgical aspects of MFM, so I’ve been able to be helping run the accreta program for the last two years and have been able to participate in a lot of the fetal surgery cases, which will really set me up for success as faculty. That was all based on what I wanted to do, the department is so good about allowing the fellowship to mold to trainee needs.

What will you miss most about the trainee phase of your career? 

I appreciate that this is a period of time when I really got to focus on learning, so I could prioritize learning experiences. I recognize that will change drastically in a couple of months, and I will miss that.

Any special shout-outs or thanks to faculty, staff, other trainees who really shaped your time here? 

I would definitely want to give a shout out to my co-fellows: Brad who’s graduated, Jackie, Scott, who are just phenomenal humans I love getting to work with. Jen Schneider, who has been my nurse in clinic and kept me on task the last three years. Kelsey Doyle is instrumental in making sure we become good ultrasound doctors. Janine Rhoades, just an incredible program director who goes above and beyond and really cares. Lastly, Mike Beninati, who has really allowed me to grow as an accreta surgeon and has been super supportive and helpful in terms of obtaining my goals, in terms of obstetric surgeries.