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Is the stress and pressure of being a surgeon worth the opportunity to be able to save lives?

#surgeons #cardiothoracic #pre-med

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Yasemin’s Answer

Hi Lucy! This is a pretty good question! I have two siblings who are done with medical school and I have definitely seen their struggles. I am also pursuing this field and overall the medical field can be stressful and takes time but if you love it and believe it is definitely what you want to do then go for it! Also, I think in medical school you will be able to understand the stresses better because in medical school you complete 2 years of rotations and one part of it is surgery. This gives you a pretty good idea of the life of a surgeon and potential stressors in the future. Surgeons do have more years of residency, longer hours and there is the extra pressure to do well in surgery as well avoid mistakes. If you can shadow a surgeon, this can also give a good idea! If you decide medical school but may not pursue surgery then possibly you can also choose a different field if you aspire to be a physician. While advice may be helpful in the end this is something you ultimately decide. If you really love medicine and want to be a physician maybe take it one step at a time and work on the premed path and get into medical school then see from there if you want to be a surgeon. You could have a change of heart with more exposure to different fields and talking with others, or you may be more decided by rotating in surgery and interacting with surgeons!

I hope this helps!
Please ask if you have any questions about premed!
Best of luck!
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Srilalitha’s Answer

Why would it be stressful? You are removing the disease and curing the patient then and there for most of the surgical cases.

A true surgeon is the one who knows when not to operate.

You can choose the timings and limit the hours. But it should be rewarding the see immediate results and show your cutting and sewing skills! Good luck.
Thank you comment icon Srilalitha, your answer is off topic. Surgery, like most jobs, has its stressors. The student wants to know if they are worth it for the opportunity to save lives? Gurpreet Lally, Admin
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Jennifer’s Answer

Hi Lucy,
This is really something that is up to you to figure out and decide as time passes. While I am not a surgeon myself, I have heard from other surgeons that the long hours in residency and the generally long time that it takes to become a surgeon is not worth it. However, I have also heard from surgeons that don't mind the path it took and are happy with where they are. It is ultimately up to you and what you value, whether it's the work of being able to save lives or whether you value having time to yourself, and if you decide not to pursue that path, there are also other specialties where you can do procedures, work with your hands, and save lives (although you might not see immediate results the way a surgeon would). Hope this helped! :)
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