Interview with Dr. Augusta Saulys

When I first started this project, I gave myself little hope and few expectations because I didn’t want to feel dejected if I received no response. A day passed, a week passed, and I had already started to wallow in self-pity when I received an email from Dr. Augusta Saulys. She completely changed my world with her compassion, kindness, and willingness to give me a chance. I would’ve never begun my journey in medicine had it not been for her support throughout the years. She is a pillar of strength, and an amazing mentor not only because of what she has done for me, but also for her contributions to the medical community. Dr. Saulys is an exemplary individual, and a role model for future physicians to come.

Dr. Saulys has a lifelong passion for medicine as her father was an anesthesiologist and her mother practiced internal medicine. The positive parental influence helped shape her future in healthcare. Her parents lived in Chicago around the time when the Soviet Union was still a major world power. They were displaced in the United States given the circumstances. Both her mother and father attended the University of Illinois; there was only one resident at the University, unlike the numerous residents we have in universities today.

Although women were still not dominant during medical school during her time, Dr. Saulys believes that her medical education experience was fantastic. It helped that she was tall and had a height advantage over other students as she seemed equally powerful regardless of her gender. She was lucky and did not face many hardships throughout her college undergraduate education. Dr. Saulys attended the state school of Southern Illinois and was part of its third graduating class. It was a three-year college, where grades were not given and tuition was a mere six hundred dollars a year. Compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars people pay for college today, the tuition back then was a gift. Because of this, she, fortunately, remained completely debt-free throughout her time.

Dr. Saulys did find it difficult to apply to a specialty/residency but she settled on doing her residency in NY Buffalo where she thoroughly enjoyed her experience. She did her fellowship and general academics in pediatrics, and “fellowed unofficially” in pediatric emergency medicine. As I was inquiring about how she did her fellowship in a pediatric emergency since it wasn’t available back then, she casually said “I devised a fellowship for myself” with the biggest smile on her face. I was left astounded for a good couple of minutes, as I processed the fact that I was sitting before the extraordinary lady that helped pave a path for pediatric emergency medicine. She graduated Medical School in 1979, and right after her fellowship, she was handed the whole department for her to run. They saw 25,000 patients a year, and she handled the entire Pediatric Emergency department with grace and vigor. I was curious to know how she managed to step into such a big role in such a short time after her studies. The whole career was ambitious, and definitely a lot of hard work but it made her who she is today.

I always wonder if I will end up becoming what I have my heart set on, a question to which Dr. Saulys promptly replied with a chuckle “rarely anyone goes into what they think they want to do.” At first, Dr. Saulys wanted to be an OBGYN because there were many women who faced problems because male gynecologists neglected women, did not know enough or did not have proper treatments available. She wanted to play her part, and help women if she could. However, she also wanted to be a kidney specialist at one point. She was fascinated with the career but in the end physiology, running intensive care units, and clinical rotations were deciding factors that led her to a pediatric emergency. The moral is that the future is unknown, so just take it as it comes and work your way to the top. I no longer fear that I won’t become what I want to be because maybe I’ll become something better.

A normal day in Dr. Augusta Saulys's life is administration for approximately 5 hours a day, and then various emergency physician shifts. There are 5 shift timings: 6 am to 1 pm, 1 pm to 10 pm, 9 am to 5 pm, 5 pm to 1 am, and 10 pm to 6 am. Each physician chooses to work four shifts a week, and those with families normally choose the 9 am to 5 pm or 6 am to 1 pm shift so they can spend the rest of the day at home. Dr. Saulys believes that the older you get the harder it is to keep up with the night shift schedule. According to her, “there isn’t a lot of personal time that comes with this career, because you work consistently for 12 years and then get burned out.” However, it is still possible to balance between private and personal life. You’ll always be there for the important times if you make an effort. The rest of the day, she teaches at UCSF teaching hospital that sees hundreds of patients a day. Between working shifts, teaching, and doing administration work, Dr. Saulys remains busy throughout the day.

Everything else aside, Dr. Augusta Saulys loves her job in a pediatric emergency with a passion. She loves the interesting cases, and the dynamics within the group she works with. The only part that is tiring is the physical toll of the job. It’s important not to “take work home.” Physicians and surgeons often try to examine patients clinically; for example, while Dr. Saulys was repairing an eye laceration on a child, the nurses covered the entire body with a sheet except for the eye. The child looked a lot like someone in her family, but when he was completely covered except for the eye it was easier for Dr. Saulys to look at it clinically and complete the procedure. This is done with most surgical patients because it reduces distractions and reactions. Even with measures taken, she is never mentally isolated from the job. You can never be mentally or emotionally detached from the situation, but you can learn to work with it. Unfortunately, physicians do lose patients on the table and there is such a strong emotional and mental toll that it takes on a person. Dr. Saulys says this is one of the reasons why drug abuse, alcohol, and suicide rates are extremely high among medical professionals.

There are millions of surgical problems, seizures, and more that pediatric emergency surgeons treat every day. When asked if she would ever consider another career because of the toll, she shook her head and said never. Like other pediatric emergency Surgeons, she NEEDS the “adrenaline high” that gets her blood pumping and heart racing every time she works a new case. She cannot work in a lesser exciting profession, as she would never feel fulfilled with her life.

I appreciate Dr. Saulys because she lives with no regrets. She knows what choices she made and she stands by them. When asked about what she would change if she could, she said “If I were to do it again, I would do two more residencies in addition to my fellowship.” I have never met anyone as ambitious and inspiring with such a great work ethic as Dr. Saulys.

To conclude the day, I asked Dr. Saulys if she had any advice for my own goals in medicine. She told me that statistics and epidemiology are both very important, and are merits of the research. She also recommended that I learn another language such as Spanish alongside Hindi and English. However, she did not just give me academic advice but life advice that I will hold close to my heart forever. She told me to be open-minded and experience everything- make the most out of everything and appreciate everything. Be broad-minded, be open to making connections, and create a daily spiritual practice to center myself through all the horrible chaos. She told me that people will always blame you for bad outcomes if you become a physician, but to always be centered. Learn to cope, and combine exercise and spiritual practice because it is very important for health. Most importantly, be who you are inside on the outside. People can sense fakeness, and duplicity so it's important to not contradict oneself or be hypocritical. Be true to who you are, and let everyone see it.

I admire Dr. Saulys because she considers herself lucky to be in the right place at the right time. When you take the Doctor’s Oath, you are not working for yourself anymore. That is something that every doctor around the world has in common. She loves to take care of children and believes it's an honor to be able to help. The relationship between patient and doctor is one to cherish and value. Dr. Saulys may be lucky enough to get the opportunity to help children, and families but they are equally as lucky to have welcomed such an incredibly talented physician into their lives.