Melissa Erickson, MD, MBA
@drericksonspine
Followers
6K
Following
15K
Media
1K
Statuses
6K
Decent human being, wife, mom, soccer retiree, Duke spine surgeon, educator, advocate, collaborator. Views my own.
Durham, NC
Joined July 2015
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.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! Special shout out to my mom and those that made me a mom. #orthomom #surgeonmom #ILookLikeASurgeon
4
10
160
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?.
3K
207
3K
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
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.
32
113
2K
Tell me you’re at an ortho conference without saying it. Apparently at 5am I was late. #AAOS2024
33
30
1K
@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.
81
5
914
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.
27
60
901
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
10
22
721
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. 🤦🏽♀️
66
23
692
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
40
112
716
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.
35
19
521
#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.
238
15
481
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
9
9
470
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.
6
9
438
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
32
7
425
Dr. Felicity Fishman & I went thru the same internship & got the same talk a few years ahead of @ladyspinedoc She is not exaggerating anything in this video.
11
37
409
@exceptionalfood I laughed about it and how different things are now. Plus we talked about it over dinner. Isn’t that some form of winning?.
44
1
351
Yep- I wore workout clothes under my scrubs to eliminate excuses to not workout by end of day. Keeping it real y’all. #GetItDone #WorkLifeBalance #ILookLikeASurgeon #mentalhealth #physicalhealth #movement
23
8
330
@remedybyeva I say my boss/sibling/husband/child/friend just as often without implication of ownership. I also loved my PA bc she’s part of my team & she says “my doc”. For us it’s team centered.
5
0
219
My resident showed up to clinic and informed me that his wife was out of town for the weekend. Like a rebel he went out and bought stuff she normally doesn’t. He’s a real wild one. going straight for Uncrustables and DMD. 🤣
16
2
217
Who else out there went into a different field of medicine than what they originally planned to going into Med school? What was it and what did you end up in? .Me: peds going in, ended up in ortho/spine #MedTwitter #orthotwitter #MedStudentTwitter.
1. Selina. (Pgy too many) peds ortho surgeon. 2.Keep an open mind about what you may end up choosing for your career. Ortho was never something I considered until I tried it. 3. @drericksonspine @CaseyHumbyrd @carrie_kollias @DrLisaDiamond @.
166
15
203
A fellow female orthopod and I both flew solo for the night. Someone may have commented- “you guys can’t sit next to each other or else you’ll confuse everyone.”. 🤣. I give you “brown girl double mint twins…. -ish”
6
13
198
Med stud joined me in OR & we went over scrub/gown/glove. Moments before a case: setting intention, anticipation, getting in my “zone”- affirm surgery was the best choice for me. I was really saying, “Welcome to one of my favorite places”. #MedTwitter #MedStudentTwitter
8
12
197
I used to take the kids picking. I still enjoy going on my own because who doesn’t love this deliciousness?. What do you do with your strawberries?
53
4
172
Day in the life of a minority:.As a female with racial ambiguity- this was stressful based on my prior experiences: 2 lane road, unfamiliar area, not densely populated, driving alone, low cell reception… confederate flag. Google maps didn’t warn me.#realtalk
26
5
175
I’m guessing I may be the only one who comes downstairs to this kind of activity on a Sunday morning 😂
24
0
187
Drove to visit my 24 year old daughter and she just made me this old fashioned. Despite all the moments I missed during training and with my job. something turned out all right. Strike that. turned out great. #momlife #surgeonlife
8
2
174
Reason 84 to get along with the people you work with:.They might surprise you with fresh laid eggs from their chickens when they catch you before your case. #teamwork #ILookLikeASurgeon with fresh eggs!!!! 🥰
5
2
157
Dad’s an avid reader. He’d clip articles & save them for me. When I moved out of state, he mailed them. Now he scans & emails to a small group of mainly family. Rarely- he uses snail mail if it’s just for me. He’s 80. I❤️ him. My first #heforshe .Who are your allies?.#MedTwitter
12
2
158
Female medical assistant/undergrad student shadowing/medical student sub-I, physician assistant, resident & attending. All in one spine clinic. Serendipitous? .In a male dominated field, call it #GirlGang #representationmatters #mentorshipmatters #spinesurgery .#weareallortho 💪🏽
11
13
153
What grown woman doesn’t need this? Loved this surprise at the end of a long day. Another year around the sun and thankful for the people in my life.
17
2
143
@alyssaghajarieh @benryanwriter They were referring to details like writing out the address, where to put the stamp, how many stamps. They’ve returned things but just hand it off to the Amazon counter.
14
4
130
@PartoutProf I have sharpened knives and preserved fruit. Agree- things phase out. I was just surprised.
7
0
133
When it takes til your 40’s to figure out your hair, you appreciate the person who worked that magic- she’s not on Twitter, but she’s amazing. No makeup, no filter- but plenty of fresh highlights and fresh ends. #selfcare #girlsurgeon #ilooklikeasurgeon #worklifebalance
11
1
130
25 years ago, I never thought about how awesome it was going to be to visit my daughter, hang out and hear what’s going on with her. Life happened fast and I still don’t know how we did it. But I cannot love her more or be prouder of who she is.
4
0
121
Why I appreciate my boys’ girlfriends:.1- they’re all smart, beautiful, driven & interesting.2- my boys’ hygiene improves significantly when they’re dating.3- one dropped off this bucket of fresh picked blueberries today.#boymom
6
2
125
7
1
111
Have I mentioned how great @dukeortho residents are? I totally spied my resident sketching out our surgical construct before our case. This tells me he knows his anatomy and he was prepared. #OrthoTwitter
5
3
114
Let the record show: I went to Costco to get 1 thing and walked out with 2. Miracles do happen 😉
12
0
109
That looks like the medial malleolus. Ugh, I cringed watching Dak Prescott go down- every ortho surgeon knows this is a rough injury. #Orthopedics #MedTwitter
9
13
113
PSA: For those of you with smart phones with facial recognition that don’t work with your mask on, you can set up an alternate appearance with your mask folded in half covering just one side of your face. Then the facial recognition works with your mask on. #MedTwitter
7
29
109
That’s too much sushi. Said no woman ever, when eating with her husband and 2 college boys. #momlife #surgeonlife
9
1
111
Not sure who needs to hear this: I didn’t used to care much about my birthday- just another day. Then I almost didn’t make it to 40. It changed my perspective. Life can be hard physically, mentally & emotionally-esp w/recent events. Each year is a gift; each day an opportunity.
6
3
109
PSA: Nobody told me that having sons in college meant texts about laundry at 10:36p. the night before an OR day. to me and my hubs, but I’m a light sleeper and now I’m up. #SurgeonLife #MomLife
12
0
102
Nothing to see here… just a whole lot of female orthopedic surgeons that are all Duke trained, looking gorgeous at a meeting. I must say, we clean up well. Find your tribe. 😍 💙💪🏽#ilooklikeasurgeon @DukeOrtho #orthopedicsurgery
4
6
102
@DocElovitz Not ok. You are capable of representing your own work. Why do others think he is representative of this work? .Why don’t I have an anonymous account that can allow me to tweet all the expletives that might be unprofessional, but truly embody the real frustration? 🤬.
3
0
94
@AmysMargin Rainbrella (umbrella).Plogged toilet (plugged toilet).Doe dog (hot dog). Favorite: youngest made any word with an “sw” into “squ”. “Mommy- can we go squimming? I’m squeaty!”. To this day the hubs and I text squim enough that it no longer autocorrects.
7
0
94
PGY-1 @ZoeWHinton flagged me down. We caught up briefly & she introduced me to an MS2. When I walked past again- she was teaching how to scrub. I couldn’t help but smile. This is just one way how women build up women. #ILookLikeASurgeon @DukeOrtho @DukeMedSchool @AwsDuke
1
4
101
Bittersweet last day operating with my first female spine fellow and one of my #HeForShe mentors/partners. @Twilli7 is going to great things at @MGHNeurosurg. Proud she’s officially my colleague @DukeSpine @DukeOrtho @Dukeneurosurg @AwsDuke #WomenInSurgery #MedTwitter #mentorship
2
5
98
Delayed tweet…. What’s the opposite of BDE? . I give you all the way from residents, circulator, scrub, anesthesiologist, surgeon, techs… all ladies! . ‘Twas a unicorn day in such male dominated fields!. The energy was 🔥!.It was an uplifting day!!!.#GirlGang. @UnOrthoDocMD
1
8
92
Am I the only one still with my jaw dropped that Will Smith just walked up and punched Chris Rock everyone just kept moving on?.
9
1
92
Me and the the mister. because this is how we’re rolling tonight #stilldating #WorkLifeBalance #workhardplayharder
2
0
97
Thanks, @drspoon8 for the awesome cap! So many compliments in the OR today! And thanks for letting come hang with you and your fam!
8
6
92
When you had a rough call wkend, come home to the fridge broke. you call your favorite restaurant- randomly get in. and order all 3 desserts like a baller .#winning #workhardplayharder #MedTwitter #ILookLikeASurgeon
6
1
94
When she first rotated on spine as a PGY2, I knew she was going to kill it. It was serendipitous to end up with her as the chief on service during #womenshistorymonth . The world of foot & ankle is getting a good one with Dr. Fletcher. #orthotwitter @DukeOrtho #MedTwitter
1
6
95
2nd dose done. I believe in safety, in science & in citizenship. This is not political. Thankful for those who have gone above and beyond to make this possible. I got my shot to do my part in making it safer for my patients, my family & friends. #thisisourshot
4
5
89
There are currently about 6% of practicing orthopaedic surgeons that are women. I can tell you this much… with these women right here, I promise you - we will always be on the dance floor doing the wobble together. #womensupportingwomen #ilooklikeasurgeon #orthopaedicsurgery
4
10
99
It was that kind of day for me. How about you?
14
1
87
Fun fact: aren’t many female Ortho spine surgeons. I think Dr Currier has trained the most of us. All 4 of us at Mayo Spine meeting this week. I was the 1st & still do ACDFs the way he taught me. Talk done ☑️ #Mentorship #ILookLikeASurgeon #workhardplayharder
1
3
92
Hey #MedStudentTwitter interested in #ortho- It's worth checking out the @DukeOrtho residency program and what we have to offer!
9
7
96
Someone’s coming to clinic with me. Let’s see your sock game. #StarWarsNerd #MedTwitter #MedStudentTwitter #OrthoTwitter
14
1
91
Why I do my thing: #orthotwitter #spinesurgery #PatientCare #education #mentorship #WorkLifeBalance #advocacy.
1
15
93
Sure, coffee can wake you up and get you moving. Apparently the sound of your dog imminently about to vomit makes you move way faster.
11
3
80
A day late- but here is to 27 years of marriage, 3 kids, 2 additional “kids”, dogs, multiple moves, career changes, laughs, tears, travels, growth, love and commitment. And yes- we were just a couple of dumb kids when it all started. #MarriedLife
11
1
86
1/Every yr hundreds of ortho surgeons travel to the Palmer House in Chicago to sit for oral boards thru @ABOSortho . It can be a very stressful time. When I took my exam, I was so nervous that I didn’t even remember what the inside of the hotel lobby looked like.
6
2
85
Had a virtual spine indications conference tonight and a male resident was on zoom with a baby carrier. It was awesome! We need to normalize this and be open about our humanity and the fact that our lives extend beyond the hospital. #MedTwitter #ortho #nsu #spine.
2
9
85
PA’s are amazing- super competitive field w/plenty of options. I work w/one of the best. She helps me provide quality care to spine patients & is clutch when I’m operating & can’t answer their questions. Today was an unplanned twinning day. #spinecare #teamwork #ladypodsquad
1
1
84
I don’t understand how doctors who offer this to patients with end stage arthritis sleep at night. This. Is. Just. Wrong. It’s taking advantage of people. #MedTwitter.
This poor patient spent $13,000 on a stem cell injection that the doctor said had a 70% chance of curing his arthritis. This has to stop. #orthotwitter
11
9
89
Good ortho residency training should equip you to think thru polytrauma. Rare to see an AP pelvis XR where you stare down the femoral neck like a barrel. Right hip looks like a target. Dx: Tab fx, posterior dislocation, IT fx. #orthotwitter #MedTwitter #radiology
6
4
81
Some guys enjoy taking their wives to nice restaurants, dolled up, dainty, well-versed in etiquette. Then there’s my hubs who takes pics of me polishing off steak with proper utensils
16
2
80
We got approved for adoption. Introducing Mace Windu Erickson. Aka- Mace. Our newest family member. Yes- we’re geeks. #StarWarsNerd #dogsoftwitter
5
1
81
🙏🏾! Happy to offer anesthesia and surgeons an option that keeps them safe in a PAPR alternative & preserves N95s #dukepride.
Shout out to my partner @drericksonspine for her novel multidisciplinary work to retrofit OR helmets for use as protective devices on the front lines @DukeOrtho @AAHKS @womenAAHKS @AAOS1
5
17
85
Did a halo lab for the residents. Walking out of Trader Joe’s last night with 6 watermelons was worth it. Awesome watching @DukeOrtho residents working together and I met some great Med students. #orthotwitter #mentorship #education #spinecare
3
4
81
In a photo, share what was the best part of your day was… without filters or edits. Tag someone you’d like to share some positive vibes with. @mymomthesurgeon @NaanDerthaal @chadcookpt @HeartOTXHeartMD @cclareMDMPH
14
1
79
100%. Also picked where to practice and where to send my kids to school because husband is white and I have 3 kids of 3 different shades. Hate that there are different rules for them and we are still having to factor this in. Racism didn’t stop at residency.
When applying to residency, I specifically only applied to geographical locations where I was less likely to experience racism from patients . If something like this has never crossed your mind, you have more to learn when it comes to #BlackMedTwitter.
5
11
69
Went straight from the OR to my mammogram because doctors need to make time for health maintenance. #ILookLikeASurgeon. #medtwitter, what have you done to take care of yourself lately?
3
1
76
Spent the weekend with my partner in crime and his grandparents. They are 94 and 93, married over 70 years. I hope that’s us one day. #marriedlife
8
0
77
1.5 yrs since we were together. My baby bro still walks thru thick and thin with me w/ 9hr time difference via email/text/video. Tonight, as planned- we celebrated our wins and losses with some great old fashioneds together. #siblings #internationalfamily #bourbon
2
0
80
It’s incredible scrolling thru all the ortho program match posts. So many top notch incoming residents breaking the stereotypes of ortho. #orthomatch2024.
2
2
80
Me- this adult acne is getting old. I should clean up my diet more. Also me to the hubs after a tough day in the OR- want me to pick up @alsburgershack ?. #realtalk #surgeonlife #workhardplayharder #ILookLikeASurgeon
5
0
77
At the risk of dating myself: Who still reads articles with a highlighter? Me: not always- but I haven’t fully switched to digital. #oldschool #AcademicTwitter #MedTwitter #orthotwitter #multitasking
21
1
79
My “lunch dates”- couple of 20 yo’s annihilated an entire Peruvian chicken while they caught me up on what’s going on in their lives… .It’s called being a boy mom & they know mom usually treats for lunch. Will they outgrow this? @NaanDerthaal @rkh_md @StressHoop @nmiladoremd?
12
0
72
Evidence of 3 college boys’ surprise visit home:.- shoes right outside the closet where shoes go.- sounded like a stampede of large animals at 3am.- smells like a gym at the end of the hall this morning. Guess we are having family Easter dinner after all! 🥰. #momlife #surgeonmom
8
0
76
@olsonplanner It helps me to navigate appropriate patient care while acknowledging that healthcare is a business. So many opportunities to improve efficiency. Also helps avoid unrealistic recommendations some non-clinicians make when they don’t understand why it’s not just about numbers.
3
0
80
Finished my case and saw someone gave me a scrub cap, signed Secret Santa. Thank you, Santa for the gift. Thank you, universe for continuing to renew my hope in humanity with this random act of kindness. #MedTwitter
4
2
78
Ok. Where are my Star Wars people?. I had a rocking team today and we got it done. The force was strong. #May4thBeWithYou
3
0
73
I’m excited to meet our new class! Welcome to ortho for all the newly matched! . #orthomatch2024
2
3
76
Taking down some trauma call. I went back into academics because I enjoy teaching/mentoring. I particularly enjoy seeing first hand how well chiefs I knew as PGY2s have matured in & out of the OR. Good chiefs are great educators/mentors. #OrthoTwitter #MedTwitter
0
3
69
10yrs ago a colleague lost someone unexpectedly. Bc of this- we took the $ set aside for new carpet & did Disney w/ kids instead. Fam of 5 on resident salary was not easy. It was the right investment. Kids then & now. #RealTalk #MedTwitter #momdoctor #ILookLikeASurgeon #ortho
3
0
69
We wear lead aprons during fracture cases & some MIS spine. Our residents choose their personal lead patterns. It made me smile when I saw this- figured I had something in common with this resident #sweettooth #donuts #orthotwitter #ILookLikeASurgeon #radiation #safety
4
4
72
There is something beautiful about finishing a book that was read purely for pleasure. What are your favorite reads? I’m making a list. Add/tag some. @NaanDerthaal @jointdocShields @LadyDoctorSays @mymomthesurgeon @MdSlutty @mymomthesurgeon @_NancyMD @Rklawton @jpbettger.
31
2
68
In a photo, after a rough day- .Drop a pic of how you “treat yo’ self”. Home made lychee saketini.
13
1
65