The Sandwich Generation in Otolaryngology

Mentoring the Next Generation

I’m grateful to have learned so much from my fellow panelists and to once again contribute to an evolving culture where we can share and validate our challenges. Dr. Graham shared that what inspired her vision for this panel was the reality that many of us struggle while believing we are alone in the struggle. Feeling stretched is not failure; it’s evidence of how deeply you are needed.

There is a quiet privilege in being needed by two generations at once, and while it can be exhausting at times, it’s also profoundly meaningful.

Children grow. Parents age. Careers evolve.

In the end, I hope we all remember that it is enough that we showed up today. Note: This panel will be presented as a Beyond the Otoscope Webinar in the near future.

Dr. Wei is the Alfred J. Magoline Endowed Chair in otolaryngology – head neck surgery, division director of pediatric otolaryngology at Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron, Ohio, and professor of otolaryngology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and Northeast Ohio College of Medicine in Cincinnati, Ohio.