September 2022
Delaney Orcutt, PGY1
You’re the first resident spotlight of the year… are you nervous?
I'm excited and I'm nervous.
How’s the transition been from Seattle to Nashville and with starting residency?
It’s been good. Intern year has been really busy and really challenging because I feel like I’ve been given a lot of autonomy. I feel stressed at times, trying not to make mistakes, but I feel like Vanderbilt is really supportive and even on my off-service rotations, I feel like I have a lot of people I can go to so I don’t do anything too crazy. The transition to Nashville has also been awesome! This is my first time living outside of Washington and I’m excited to try something new. There’s tons to do here and everyone has been super nice. It’s the perfect size city for me. I’m excited to be here for the next five years.
What made you decide that you wanted to leave Washington after growing up there?
During my away rotation here, I was so impressed watching the chiefs operate and seeing their leadership skills and how confident everyone was. The faculty were so awesome, and I felt like now would be the time to try something new and get out of my Pacific Northwest bubble. I really felt like this was a special place and I wanted to be here.
What rotations have you done so far?
I’ve done VA general surgery, Urology at the main hospital and now I’m on EGS.
What’s been your favorite?
Urology for sure. I love Will and Lani, they’re so fun to work with. It was so busy… and crazy… but when I look back, I think I learned a ton and gained a lot of confidence, even in a short amount of time. I really, really enjoyed it, and next time I come back I think I’ll be a little more efficient.
What do you do outside of work?
I try to keep in touch with my friends, as much as possible and talk to my family. I like to go on walks. I have yet to go to Percy Warner Park, but Dr. Scarpato told me I should. I like to listen to podcasts and music. I love going out to try new restaurants and bars.
Do you listen to the same music on your walks that you’ll listen to in the OR when you get to choose?
I listen to a lot of country… and I think that that’s acceptable here. I like rock, I like rap, I like techno, I like everything. I think it just depends on who I’m working with and what I think they’ll tolerate. I think I listen to the same stuff at home that I’ll listen to in the OR.
Have you gotten a dog yet? When are you getting a dog? All the residents get a dog.
I don’t have a dog yet… I just got a plant. I’ve never been able to keep one alive for more than 2 months. But Veerain and Levi are actually really into gardening so they’ve been helping me, and it’s doing great. It actually may need to be repotted soon because it’s getting so big.
What kind of plant is it?
It’s a peace lily. I might get another one… but I don’t know about a dog. It seems like a lot of responsibility.
You just had a birthday, what did you do?
I got dinner with one of my co-interns, Veerain. Everyone else was working, but we got tacos and margaritas in Sylvan Park and it was really fun. We’re also going to do something tonight because Levi’s birthday is this week too and everyone’s off. We try to hang out with each other as much as we can. My class is awesome. We clicked really early and hung out a lot during orientation. They’re really fun and a good support system. I feel really lucky.
Veerain is just so tall…
He is so tall and he loves basketball. I played basketball, too! And I heard you played basketball and Bola plays basketball. So I think we should go shoot hoops. We have to use a women’s ball though (holds up her small hands and laughs).
There’s a court really close to here and Dr. Barocas has been trying to get a game going for a while. We’ll need to invite him.
Let’s do it!
Ok let’s wrap it up, Rapid fire:
Favorite drink: Espresso Martini
Favorite plant: The only plant I have: peace lily.
Dogs or Cats?: Dogs
Favorite type of music: Country
Favorite artist: Luke Combs
Interview conducted by George Koch, MD