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Is cardiology a good field to become a surgeon in?

I am a rising junior in college and I know its really early to be thinking about this. I am positive I want to become a surgeon and have chosen three fields that sound interesting to me: Cardiothoracic surgeon, General surgeon, or Trauma Surgeon, in that order.

#surgeon #general-surgery #cardiac-surgeon #surgery #medicine #doctor

surgeon surgery general-surgery cardiac-surgeon
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Estelle’s Answer

After high school, you need a 4 year college degree. Your major is not as important as your undergraduate grades, your MCAT score, your letters of reference, and your personal statements on your medical school application. For now, just focus on finding a college that fits you and your budget and a major that really interests you in college so that you will make great grades and get strong letters of recommendation from professors that recognize your potential.
Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters

After college, medical school is another 4 years.
Surgery residencies follow medical school. General surgery is a 5 year program (but you do receive a salary during these years.)
Cardiothoracic surgery is a 6 year program.
To clarify, cardiology is a branch of internal medicine which would entail a 3 year medicine residency followed by a 3-4 year cardiology fellowship.
Good luck!
Thank you comment icon Hey Estelle, great info but doesn't answer the question. Can you share more details on what it's like to be cardiological surgeon/ if it's a good field? Gurpreet Lally, Admin
Thank you comment icon Cardiolthoracic surgery is a great field but very stressful. You will be dealing with acutely ill patients for the most part. The surgeries are often very complicated and tedious but lifesaving and/or life altering. Cardiothoracic surgeons need to be patient, calm, and detail oriented. Estelle Archer
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Richard’s Answer

These are all very rewarding careers for the motivated student. You will have the opportunity during medical school to spend time on each rotation and find out which is right for you. In addition to finding the specialty that suits your talents and interests, it might be good to research job satisfaction for these specialties too. In some surveys, general surgeons report job satisfaction around 50%.
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Amy’s Answer

Hi Adam,

Cardiothoracic surgery is a great field to go into but it is also very fast paced. Surgeons not only have additional schooling after medical school, but they also tend to have more intense on-call hours. This means that in addition to the normal 12 hour shifts that they work they will also need to come in sometimes for emergency surgeries.
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Rachel’s Answer

Surgery is a fantastic field. CT surgery is a great subspecialty within the field of surgery.

In order to become a surgeon, you will need to excel in your pre-med classes, have a GPA of at least a 3.5 and be accepted to medical school. After 4 years of medical school and being accepted into a residency, you will need to be hard-working, have the endurance to tolerate an 80 hour work week and have the willingness to learn new information every day.
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