How did Simply Surgery come to be?
Our story begins in the summer of 2023, when I (Nico) started my first clinical rotation as a second-year medical student. My first assignment was on the labor and delivery floor, where I quickly realized how difficult it was to prepare for cesarean sections. There were existing resources targeted at patients and residents, but almost nothing designed for medical students just starting out in the hospital.
Before my first day, I scoured anatomy atlases, obstetrics and gynecology textbooks, and various online resources to ensure I was ready for the OR—and for the inevitable "pimping" by my residents and attending doctors. While I felt prepared, I couldn't shake the thought that there had to be a better, more efficient way to study for surgical cases.
Fast forward to January 2024, when I was about to begin my surgery clerkship. As an aspiring neurosurgeon, I knew it was crucial to excel in the OR. During my first few weeks on the surgical oncology team, I was spending over three hours each night preparing for cases—reviewing anatomy, pathophysiology, operative steps, key history and physical exam findings, workup, and even relevant clinical trials. Despite my efforts, I found that recognizing anatomy in an actual patient was far more challenging than studying static textbook images. That’s when the idea struck: what if there was a video resource that consolidated all of this critical information into a single, digestible format? A resource designed specifically for medical students, making surgical case prep both efficient and engaging.
I shared this idea with my close friend Spencer Sartin, who—though not in the medical field—has a strong interest in medicine, and my cousin Katrianna Urrea, who was a first-year medical student at the time. Excited by the concept, we quickly recorded audio for a few episodes and sent them to some of my attendings for feedback. Their response was overwhelmingly positive—not only did they support the project, but they even offered to provide OR footage to help bring our videos to life.
After months of refining our content, we’re thrilled to finally launch Simply Surgery. Our goal is simple: to help medical students prepare for the OR with confidence while giving them back some much-needed free time. Our first videos go live on February 12th, and we can’t wait to share them with you!
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