In her home town of Chiefland, Florida, young Urologist Miranda Hardee unraveled her passion for science and knew medicine would be her calling. Her father had an interest in genetics, and she would often observe the various artificial inseminations and embryo transfers he performed on farm animals. Under his mentorship, she witnessed the full range of animal care, including sick animals undergoing difficult surgeries.
“Growing up on a ranch, you have a little bit more understanding of the significance of life and death, just because you see it at a very young age,” Hardee added.
Hardee’s father influenced her career journey in more than one way: though their small town ranch had been owned by their family for four generations, he advised his children to pursue advanced careers.
Along with her two brothers and sister, Hardee and her siblings pursued careers in veterinary medicine, marketing, and optometry, branching out from their small town roots. However, they are all deeply grateful and attribute their success to these formative childhood experiences.
College and medical school: a small fish in a big pond
Hardee attended the University of Florida and earned a major in animal biology through the College of Agriculture. There, she completed courses in biology, genetics, physics, and chemistry. However, most of her peers went on to pursue veterinary medicine.
Raised in a small town, Hardee was astonished by the institution’s size and innumerable resources for students interested in medicine. She was particularly amazed by the university’s medical department, which was massive and boasted career fields ranging from human and veterinary medicine to dentistry and pharmacology.
“Our chemistry lab in high school was minimal, and then you get to a university where all of your science classes are with peers competing to get into one of the advanced science degrees,” Hardee said. “So now, all of a sudden, you’re in auditoriums of thousands of kids. And you, in the beginning, have to establish your confidence.”
The adjustment into college was a challenge, with Hardee accepting that things were not going to be as easy as they were in high school. However, she had the advantage of living only 45 minutes away from home, so her strong family support allowed her to balance her social life with her academic schedule.
Studying was a significant component of her college experience — for Hardee, even more so than medical school. She skipped out on most football games and did not participate in many extracurricular activities: all of her energy during her undergraduate years were directed towards medical school applications.
After matriculating to the University of Florida College of Medicine, Hardee was able to finally relax. She found that though her life revolved around excelling in medical school, the weeks in between exams were spent attending football games, spending time with friends, and traveling.
“It was a good balance … that is when I started to [enjoy] coffee, too, was at med school,” Hardee laughed.
Urology
Initially, Hardee took interest in pediatric hematology. However, after completing her pediatrics rotation, she realized that although she loved caring for the kids, she was more interested in adult medicine. After deciding to pursue surgery and considering other specialties, including ophthalmology and plastic surgery, she discovered urology.
“I really liked urology,” Hardee said. “I thought it was a good fit for me, because the things you help people with connect together. Things like incontinence or erectile dysfunction, pelvic pain — those are clinical things that affect a lot of people.”
Residency was a life changing experience, because of the sudden added responsibility compared to medical students. While there was support from senior residents, she was mostly expected to be accountable for her patients, including gauging severity or determining need for operation. Hardee’s urology residency spanned five years, where she acquired operative skills and became a great asset to the hospital and her peers.
“I doubt my operative skills have ever been higher than they were that year,” Dr. Hardee said. “It’s because you’re doing it all the time, and like anything else, the more experience you get, the more comfortable and proficient you’ll be at it.
Hardee noted that she greatly enjoys her surgery days, despite the challenges sometimes posed by the uniqueness of each patient’s anatomy.
“Often, we mistakenly tell patients, ‘This is a bread and butter surgery, it’s very straightforward,'” Hardee added. “[But] there’s always a 5% chance that something’s not going to be straightforward, and so you have to be prepared to anticipate what the next step will be in helping for whatever potential complication they may encounter.”
Some of Hardee’s most memorable experiences are with her cancer patients, where she has guided them through every step of some of the “scariest moments they have ever experienced.” She noted the value in helping them feel calm, spanning the morning of their surgery through their frequent surveillance follow-up appointments.
Life Outside the Clinic
Maintaining a proper work-life balance has been a work in progress throughout her career, but Hardee noted that having a supportive partner has been very helpful
“My husband is not in medicine,” Hardee added. “He’s always been very good at telling me, ‘You have to shut it down, you can’t look at your charts anymore tonight,’ and just knowing ‘when you’re mentally exhausted, just call it the week.’” Hardee added.
Hardee also added that, as passionate as she is about her career, it exists within the context of everything else in her life. An important mantra she lives by during her day to day life is that she “does not live to work, but rather works to live.”
“Enjoy life, go outside,” Hardee said. “I think that’s a big thing too.”
Hardee is currently proud to represent a strong community of urologists in Austin, which is reflected by her recognition as a ‘Top Doctor’ under the category of Urology in the 2020-2024 editions of Austin Monthly Magazine. Furthermore, she takes pride in the positive and respectful reputation among her colleagues as a physician who would treat patients as she would her own family members.
