Paulina Szakiel, MD

Hometown: Batavia, Illinois

Hobbies & interests: Spending time with friends and families, checking out new restaurants and bars, exploring Milwaukee - Bradford Beach, Summerfest, Brewers Game at American Family Field, MKE sports leagues.

Why I chose MCW: I chose MCW for the robust operative experience. As a level 1 trauma center, there is diversity of cases, as well as a high operative load, that allows residents to get earlier hands-on experience. Since being a resident, I have found another strong quality of our program to be the attending/resident relationships and mentorships. MCW creates a positive learning environment where staff will clinically challenge you to better your skills and knowledge, but also are available and supportive to help you reach your goals. The graduated residents that I've witnessed since being here have all left as competent and confident surgeons.

What MCW has to offer a candidate: MCW offers a positive learning environment that helps build a solid foundation for operative and clinical skills. Our graduates leave feeling prepared for their fellowships, or even to start working in the community.

What I like about living in Milwaukee: Milwaukee offers a lot as a city. We have a growing restaurant and brewery scene, with awesome outdoor spots when the weather is nice. Being close to the lake has been a huge plus for me, I enjoy walking the trail or having a beach day with friends. There are endless year-round activities, like MKE sports leagues, Brewers and Bucks games, and festivals.