Dr. Ian Wellington is a 2015 Bucknell alumn who is currently in his final year of training for spinal surgery at Emory Hospital. He began medical school at the University of Maryland from 2015-2019, and did residency in Orthopedic Surgery at UConn from 2019-2025, with an additional research year between his second and third years of residency. During his time at Bucknell, he had dual majored in Neuroscience and Anthropology, and was highly involved in research projects for both the biology and psychology departments. He was also involved in the residential college program and had even helped start the Discovery College. Outside of academics, Dr. Wellington hosted Bucknell’s student-run radio station WVBU and was involved in Greek life.
The small-scale and close-knit community that is Bucknell allowed Dr. Wellington to really get to know his peers and also his professors. He was able to take on important mentors (namely, Dr. Patterson and Dr. Mitchel) who helped guide him and give personalized assistance. Looking back now, he reflects on how Bucknell strongly set him up for success. Being a smaller school, he was able to get intimately involved with research projects. Rather than be a cog in the wheel, he was given the opportunity to lead a project and eventually manage the lab for Dr. Mitchel. Dr. Wellington strongly believes that his experience set him apart from other applicants when he applied to medical school. The ability to focus on activities outside of STEM also gave him a more diverse application (every med school asked about hosting a radio show). He believes he was made into a well-rounded person, which has helped him with entering into a field where it’s easy to be laser-focused on just one aspect of your life. One core element he recalled was his anthropology second major, “I remember taking a medical anthropology class with Dr. Alan Tran that I found fascinating. It gave me a more diverse perspective on healthcare and how different people view it and interact with it.” Overall, he states that Bucknell grew him into the person who was ready to tackle medical school beyond just the academics of it.
Dr. Welington additionally shared some advice he would give current students considering his same path, stating, “Be well-rounded. It’s not just good advice for an application, it’s good advice for life. Have interests you’re passionate about, and maintain them throughout your career. Undergrad was definitely the most enjoyable part. Medical school is quite challenging; it’s the most grueling studying I’ve ever done. I learned a lot and made some lifelong friends, but it definitely pushes you. Residency was less studying and more just straight-up working hours. Orthopedic residency averages 80hrs/week, sometimes more, rarely less. I got a lot of surgical exposure and met some amazing mentors. Each year of residency got a bit easier than the last, so that was maybe the turning point for difficulty in this journey. This job is really hard; it takes a lot out of you (you basically sell your 20’s in exchange for an MD), so having things you enjoy outside of medicine is the difference between success and burnout. Also have a strong support network, with people who can help you through the journey, is a huge benefit. I’m incredibly grateful for my wife (Megan Wellington, Bucknell ’15) and her support through this journey. Work hard, persevere (easier said than done), it all works out.”
A current normal day in the life of Dr. Wellington first begins with a 5 am wake-up most days, occasionally 4 am. He heads to the hospital to round on inpatients, do orders, and discharge anyone ready to leave. He then spends a little more time preparing for that day’s cases. The OR starts at 7:15, so he heads back there around then. The OR lasts until cases are done, usually things end around 5 pm, but on bad days, he can be there till 8 or 9. Once he gets home, he spends as much time as he can with his wife and 2-year-old daughter. Any additional time in the day, Dr. Wellington spends working on current research projects and then preparing for the next day’s cases. Before the night ends, he will go to the gym for 30 minutes and then to bed, usually at 9 or 10. On days he is on call, Dr. Wellington states that he “seems to have a bad cloud following me, so I have a track record of doing emergent overnight cases. If those come in and need to be done, I’ll go back to the hospital to take care of whatever it is. Some days are pretty easy; other days are rough. I love it though.”
