Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA (@drericksonspine) / X

Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA

6,251 posts

Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA

@drericksonspine

Decent human being, wife, mom, soccer retiree, Duke spine surgeon, educator, advocate, collaborator. Views my own.

Durham, NC

threads.net/@dr_safe_spine…

Joined July 2015

Pinned
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
May 9, 2021
1/ For women considering surgery: a 🧵 I don’t want to lie and say it was easy becoming a spine surgeon. It wasn’t. I worked hard and appreciated the support from my husband, family and friends. There were plenty of moments I wondered if I made the right choice.
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
May 9, 2021
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! Special shout out to my mom and those that made me a mom. #orthomom #surgeonmom #ILookLikeASurgeon
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Aug 31, 2023
Talking with my sons in their 20s. I just found out they don’t know how to: - mail a letter - write a check - send a package - write in cursive “Nobody in our generation does that stuff” Y’all, this is wild. Just me?
15M
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
May 14, 2023
Had my last kid in med school. People were shocked I wanted to do ortho. Plenty of naysayers. Pic of us at my Med school grad then & at his grad this past wkend. We figured it out & made it work. Happy Mother’s Day!#ILookLikeASurgeon #spinesurgeon #MomOfAnEngineer
Laura Vater, MD, MPH
@doclauravater
May 14, 2023
I became a mom in med school, & many people told me I shouldn't do it. To anyone being told they have to put their parenting plans on hold until training is done, don't listen. This narrative is not helpful. We need more representation of parents in training & more support.
204K
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Feb 15, 2024
Tell me you’re at an ortho conference without saying it. Apparently at 5am I was late. #AAOS2024
115K
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Aug 31, 2023
Replying to @GrizzJohnson
I don’t even see it as a failure. More so interesting dinner conversation that surprised me to learn so many things are becoming obsolete
275K
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Apr 10, 2023
Friendly reminder to not make assumptions when you see someone walking out of a patient room. No- I’m not transport. I am the patient’s surgeon.
155K
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Nov 30, 2021
Nurse who saw me walk into the hospital: Dr. E- when people see you, they wouldn’t think you’re a surgeon. I almost didn’t recognize you. Me: Perfect! That means we’re changing what we think surgeons should look like. #CheckYourBias #ChangingSterotypes #MedTwitter #orthotwitter
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
May 26, 2023
If you need to verify who an employee is & their badge is inadvertently flipped, maybe ASK them to flip their badge instead of reaching & doing it yourself. It’s a nice way to respect personal space. By personal space, I mean parts of my body right near my badge. 🤦🏽‍♀️
64K
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Aug 21, 2020
Why I get uptight x-rays even when patient is sent to me with a recent MRI? Most MRIs are done supine. Alignment can change from upright to supine as seen in this mobile spondylolisthesis. #spinesurgery #ortho #nsu #MedTwitter
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Jun 4, 2022
Nothing like a little general ortho call to remind me why I should probably never get on a motorcycle again. So. Many. Fractures. In. So. Many. Patients.
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Nov 13, 2020
#MedTwitter, how many hrs of sleep do you get on average during the week and what do you do for a living? Was explaining to a friend how Fitbit/whoop/Apple Watch can track sleep & showed my sleep data. She gasped when she saw I slept 5h 34min. Me- spine surgeon 5-6h
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Feb 16, 2021
5y ago, I interviewed Dr. Baldwin for residency & pulled hard for him to come to Duke. He’s done great. Now he’s applying for spine fellowships. I’m proud to train quality residents like him & can’t wait to call him a spine colleague. #ortho #spinesurgery #mentorship #MedTwitter
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Jul 13, 2020
Med student emailed me last nite asking if she could join my case- she’s not even on ortho. It was awesome- I knew to look for her, talked her thru the surgery, and found out some cool stuff about her. She asked good questions- did great! #medstudenttwitter
Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Jan 9, 2021
My week in no particular order: 1- did a greatly satisfying microdiscectomy on my own (trainees on service were interviewing) 2- was told I had a great hair day in clinic- figuring out how to tame this mane 3- officially finished my MBA #ILookLikeASurgeon #MDMBA #teamfuqua