Breaking All The Stereotypes: Super Mom and Trauma Surgeon Dr. Qaali Hussein, MD

  When you hear the words Muslim, female, and mother of six, the image of a trauma surgeon probably is not the first thing that comes to mind, but this next guest is breaking all the stereotypes! This week, we have the absolute pleasure of learning from the amazing Dr. Qaali Hussein, MD, a Muslim mother of six who has overcome all the challenges that have stood in her way.

"Don’t let anybody define your limitations. You define what limits you"

 Learn about the inspirational and amazing story of a child caught in a Civil War in Somalia, who got her first glimpses of trauma trying to protect her grandmother; a child who ultimately fulfilled a dream of becoming a doctor. Learn about the resident who was told she couldn’t be a mother in residency but did so anyway. Learn about the Muslim who respects her religion and wears a hijab, in spite of the challenges this can bring to the workplace. Please listen and learn from Dr. Qaali Hussein!

A glimpse into the Conversation:

Why Trauma:
In Somalia when we were leaving, there was a Civil War. On our way out, we had a trauma occur within our family. I was in a car with my grandmother… we got shot at. My grandmother ended up getting shot in the legs and the bullet went through both of them. We had to get off the road to help control and stop the bleeding. At the age of seven, as I was putting my hands on her bloody legs, that was my first exposure to trauma.
Throughout my studying and training I never planned on doing trauma, but when I started doing it, it was an automatic connection. I don’t know if it was from that initial exposure to experiencing trauma, but it was it something that automatically made me feel, you know, someone is hurt and you can do something, you can do something significant to save their lives. That’s been one of the things that pushed me towards trauma. It was just an instant affinity as soon as I started doing it.

Following The Plan:
I’ve always wanted to say my plan was to be a doctor. Plan “A” was to be a doctor, plan “B” was to be a doctor, and plan “C” was to be a doctor. Plan D was to stay at home and have a bunch of babies.

How do you know you chose the right path:

[There] are days that are absolutely exciting and even if [you’ve] been up for 24 hours, 30 hours straight, by the end of it is very exhilarating. If you have a passion for something like that, I don’t think any limitations should exist with your pursuit!

  

The Struggles of appearances, and overcoming them:

I’ve literally been called a terrorist by a patient of mine. I’ve been given religious lectures about which book is the true book, and you know, those things happen. But the good thing is, I take care of patients that are very very sick. So when they see that I’m trying to help them, all those things fall by the wayside and we don’t have to talk about that.

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