Interviews

Learn from physicians across medicine.

Choosing a career in medicine means choosing from dozens of different paths. The Long Haul gives students an opportunity to hear directly from physicians about their specialties, their journeys, and what practicing medicine actually looks like. Our interviews were created to give students access to virtual physician shadowing and specialty exploration.

Julia S. Spalding, MD

Neonatology University of Kentucky

Dr. Spalding walks through what a typical week in neonatalogy actually looks like, why she chose it over other specialties she considered, and what she wishes she’d known before matching.

An inside look at every specialty.

Browse physicians who’ve shared their story with The Long Haul, and watch their full interview on our YouTube channel.

Dr. Saleh Parvez

Psychiatry Affiliated Faculty University of Central Florida

MD, FACS

Peter T Dziegielewski,

Chief Of Head & Neck Oncologic And Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery University of Florida

Kerry Thomas, MD

Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology Moffitt Cancer Center Florida

Bruce A. Mast, MD

Chief, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery University of Florida

Timothy B Bullard, MD

Emergency Medicine Orlando Health Orlando Florida

Rohan Mehta, MD

Nephrology University of Florida College of Medicine

Peter R. Peletier, MD

Fellowship Program Director, Medical Director, Transfusion Service (Pathology) University of Florida

Michael G. Abraham, MD

Neurology - Stroke Research Director University of Kansas Medical Center

Maria Morales, MD

Endocrinology University of Florida

Ravin R. Patel, DO

Sports Medicine and Family Medicine Pennsylvania State University

Tyler J. Loftus, MD, PhD

General Surgery Program Director- General Surgery Residency Program University of Florida

Neal Weisbrod, MD

Palliative Care University of Florida

Claudiu Moisa, MD

Family Medicine - Geriatric Medicine University of Louisville

Christopher N Belcher, MD

Emergency Medicine Associate Program Director - Emergency Medicine Residency University of Kentucky

Julia S. Spalding, MD

Neonatology University of Kentucky

Go beyond the specialty name.

What does a dermatologist actually do every day? What is surgical residency really like? How does someone decide between internal medicine and family medicine?

Our physician interviews are designed to answer the questions that can be difficult to learn from a textbook or Google search.

Day-to-day realities

What different specialties actually look like on a normal day.

Training pathways

What medical school and residency training actually involve.

Why they chose it

The real reasons physicians landed on their specialty.

Advantages

The honest tradeoffs of different career paths.

Work-life balance

What life outside the hospital really looks like.

Research & fellowship

Paths for going further within a specialty.

Advice for students

Practical guidance for those interested in the field.

The realities

An honest picture of what practicing medicine is like.