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To All Surgeons: How did you become one, and what is your daily life like?
Hiya! I want to become a general Surgeon; therefore, I want to know what each type of surgeon experiences, both similarities and differences. I also want to know how you became a surgeon. What path did you take (starting from high school)? I've heard some became surgeons through the Navy. Would that be an option I should consider?
Thank you!
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James’s Answer
Well, I am not a surgeon, but as a pediatric intensivist I worked with every branch of pediatric surgery, and have a fairly good idea of what it is like.
First, all physicians begin by doing very well in college so they can be accepted into medical or osteopathic school (some go international for this). During medical school one takes "rotations" in many different areas, including, at a minimum, general surgery. One also chooses electives, so one could add on time in orthopedics, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery...
It is during medical school that one decides what kind of physician to be - then applies to residencies in their desired field. It is common for a surgeon to do a residency in general surgery, then decide to do a fellowship to become a specialist. Others go directly into a branch of surgery.
All surgical residencies are at least five years, and most of the pediatric surgeons with whom I worked had 7-9 years of training beyond medical school.
In our country, we do not make it easy (as they do in many other countries) for bright, ambitious people to afford school, but one does get paid (albeit at a modest rate) once one is in residency. Surgeons do tend to make more money than their medical counterparts, but they also tend to have longer training and in many cases a higher call burden - meaning they need to be available on some nights and weekends and holidays to be available and come in the the emergency department or hospital if a patient needs them.
All surgeons learn anatomy well, and all learn how to use the many surgical tools to cut, retract, biopsy, scope, excise, and suture/close wounds. All learn about how to care for surgical wounds. All learn basic medical management, such as how to prescribe correct diets, fluids, antibiotics, etc. All physicians need to consult their team mates to help when the patient needs others' expertise. That is where people like me come in to manage mechanical ventilators, vasoactive infusions, dialysis, and such. Complex patients often need multiple surgical specialists to work together.
Surgery, like all of medicine, is evolving quickly. New tools, techniques, and basic science understanding modify one's care (or should) regularly. Therefore, like all physicians, surgeons must be actively involved in continuous education (which is a requirement for maintaining your license in addition to what it takes to be a good doctor).
Like all physicians, some surgeons choose to work in academic centers so they can be involved in research and training - and be involved in the cutting edge of medicine (pun intended). Physicians in smaller towns send the most complicated patients to such centers in large cities. Some surgeons actually travel around to be the general surgeon for a few scattered small rural hospitals. I worked with one as a medical student who owned and flew his own plane from town to town in Kansas.
Imagine the difference between being an ophthalmologist - a surgeon working on eyes and an oncologic surgeon working to remove cancer versus a neurosurgeon versus a head and neck surgeon. Then you realize how broad "surgery" can be.
Luckily, you do not have to (or get to) choose for many years. Work hard, but enjoy the journey and explore the wonders of science and medicine!
First, all physicians begin by doing very well in college so they can be accepted into medical or osteopathic school (some go international for this). During medical school one takes "rotations" in many different areas, including, at a minimum, general surgery. One also chooses electives, so one could add on time in orthopedics, neurosurgery, cardiothoracic surgery...
It is during medical school that one decides what kind of physician to be - then applies to residencies in their desired field. It is common for a surgeon to do a residency in general surgery, then decide to do a fellowship to become a specialist. Others go directly into a branch of surgery.
All surgical residencies are at least five years, and most of the pediatric surgeons with whom I worked had 7-9 years of training beyond medical school.
In our country, we do not make it easy (as they do in many other countries) for bright, ambitious people to afford school, but one does get paid (albeit at a modest rate) once one is in residency. Surgeons do tend to make more money than their medical counterparts, but they also tend to have longer training and in many cases a higher call burden - meaning they need to be available on some nights and weekends and holidays to be available and come in the the emergency department or hospital if a patient needs them.
All surgeons learn anatomy well, and all learn how to use the many surgical tools to cut, retract, biopsy, scope, excise, and suture/close wounds. All learn about how to care for surgical wounds. All learn basic medical management, such as how to prescribe correct diets, fluids, antibiotics, etc. All physicians need to consult their team mates to help when the patient needs others' expertise. That is where people like me come in to manage mechanical ventilators, vasoactive infusions, dialysis, and such. Complex patients often need multiple surgical specialists to work together.
Surgery, like all of medicine, is evolving quickly. New tools, techniques, and basic science understanding modify one's care (or should) regularly. Therefore, like all physicians, surgeons must be actively involved in continuous education (which is a requirement for maintaining your license in addition to what it takes to be a good doctor).
Like all physicians, some surgeons choose to work in academic centers so they can be involved in research and training - and be involved in the cutting edge of medicine (pun intended). Physicians in smaller towns send the most complicated patients to such centers in large cities. Some surgeons actually travel around to be the general surgeon for a few scattered small rural hospitals. I worked with one as a medical student who owned and flew his own plane from town to town in Kansas.
Imagine the difference between being an ophthalmologist - a surgeon working on eyes and an oncologic surgeon working to remove cancer versus a neurosurgeon versus a head and neck surgeon. Then you realize how broad "surgery" can be.
Luckily, you do not have to (or get to) choose for many years. Work hard, but enjoy the journey and explore the wonders of science and medicine!
Thank you so much, James! I am so excited about my career choice! I did not know this much before, so thank you for clarifying for me! It is fascinating how broad the path is and how many opportunities are offered by it. I'm so excited I cannot suture my enthusiasm... (pun intended). Thank you!
Gracelynn
Updated
Madison’s Answer
I'm an OBGYN. For me personally, I do both obstetrics and gynecology. I delivery babies on labor and delivery/take hospital call; I see any OB or GYN patients that may need consults from the emergency room. I also see patients (of all ages) in the office/clinic. I do outpatient and inpatient procedures and surgeries (both minor and major). Majority of if not all OBGYN residents now are certified in laparoscopic surgery and many of us in robotic/minimally invasive surgery as well. Not every OBGYN will choose to do any/as much surgery, everyone is slightly different so it is a great field to get to tailer how much you may or may not want to be more surgical vs. non-surgical and great that this can change over time. This ability for changing surgical volume may be important as your life/career/goals change over time as well.
College, med school, residency, sometimes a fellowship. So many fields of medicine involve surgery so there are many different types of surgeons. Depending on your field you may operate daily or once a month or once a week. Many people do surgery, do research, see patients in an office, see patients at the hospital, sometimes a combination. For me, I really wanted a specialty that had both surgery and non surgical procedures/tasks. I wanted to really be a big part of patients' lives and be there for big/important moments. I wanted to have a longer standing relationship outside of just pre-op/surgery/post-op care, which some surgical specialties may have. Alot to consider but certainly in medical school you are given lots of opportunities to consider residency programs/specialties and see different types of careers to decide.
Hope this helps!
Madison
College, med school, residency, sometimes a fellowship. So many fields of medicine involve surgery so there are many different types of surgeons. Depending on your field you may operate daily or once a month or once a week. Many people do surgery, do research, see patients in an office, see patients at the hospital, sometimes a combination. For me, I really wanted a specialty that had both surgery and non surgical procedures/tasks. I wanted to really be a big part of patients' lives and be there for big/important moments. I wanted to have a longer standing relationship outside of just pre-op/surgery/post-op care, which some surgical specialties may have. Alot to consider but certainly in medical school you are given lots of opportunities to consider residency programs/specialties and see different types of careers to decide.
Hope this helps!
Madison
Wow sounds busy and just what I was hoping for! Thank you for your answer, I greatly appreciate it!
Gracelynn
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