Lifestyle of CT Surgeon?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
D

DMBmatty08

Member
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Mar 27, 2004
Messages
105
Reaction score
1
Points
4,551
Location
Wisconsin
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Can anyone comment on what the lifestyle of a CT surgeon is like? If I do this can I expect to be a good father and husband? Thanks!!
 
If you do a forum search under "lifestyle" you will see CTS frequently mentioned as amongst the worst:

- emergencies
- sick patients
- call
- high stress
- decreasing reimbursement

As to whether or not you can be a good husband and father, that is independent of your specialty. Hours spent at home do not = quality time as a husband and father, IMHO.
 
CT surgeons do not have a lifestyle. They have work, and they have sleep.
 
Kimberli Cox said:
As to whether or not you can be a good husband and father, that is independent of your specialty. Hours spent at home do not = quality time as a husband and father, IMHO.
Click to expand...

Agree with above. That said, if you (or your wife) equate amount or predictable nature of time at home with "goodness," CT is not the place to look.
 
BlackSails said:
CT surgeons do not have a lifestyle. They have work, and they have sleep.
Click to expand...

I really do not agree with this. I try and spend as much time as I can in this specialty and the surgeons I work don’t have it too bad. Adult cardiac surgeons are a bit more busier then those who also do thoracic or are purely thoracic and I’ve noticed that the aortic team are particularly busy. But they all seem to have good family lives on the side. I’d say that they’re no more busier then most general surgeons. HOWEVER, paediatric CT and transplant are much much more hectic… you’ve really got to be nuts to do these subspecialties.
 
johnny_blaze said:
I really do not agree with this. I try and spend as much time as I can in this specialty and the surgeons I work don't have it too bad. Adult cardiac surgeons are a bit more busier then those who also do thoracic or are purely thoracic and I've noticed that the aortic team are particularly busy. But they all seem to have good family lives on the side. I'd say that they're no more busier then most general surgeons. HOWEVER, paediatric CT and transplant are much much more hectic… you've really got to be nuts to do these subspecialties.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, it is MUCH different here in the states. Because of the small size of the CT surgery team in most hospitals, they usually take much more call than the average general surgeon and the patients are often much more sick. In addition, their call often requires them to come into the hospital whereas general surgeons can often go nights without coming into the hospital (if they have residents to cover).

I can say that as a resident on CT surgery I was on the phone MUCH MUCH more often with the CT attending and fellow than with any general surgery attending. The CT guys often came in to see post-op patients with complications, to deal with problems created in the cath lab, etc. while a general surgeon could stay home or even delay coming in until morning in many instances.

Our CT guys also had a per capita much higher divorce rate than the general surgeons...of course that could have been related to their personalities rather than the work!:laugh:
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Meatwad said:
Taking 50% of everything I've got scares me.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm not as worried about the actual finances (pre-nup!) as the emotional/psychological disaster that occurs after a divorce. And if there are kids involved? 10,000 times worse.
 
Blade28 said:
Well, I'm not as worried about the actual finances (pre-nup!) as the emotional/psychological disaster that occurs after a divorce. And if there are kids involved? 10,000 times worse.
Click to expand...

Eh, you're afraid of commitment anyway, what are you worried about?:meanie:
 
Wow, all this stuff about CT surgery is terribly depressing.

I don't want to be a jerk, I want to have a good relationship with my wife, I want to have a family. More and more it is looking like IM/Cards for me

I'm not terribly worried about not matching CT surgery, i feel I'm a strong applicant on paper with good scores and research, a hard worker, and not a horrible person. My wife is also going to be a physician and she is thinking OB/GYN.

Is it truly as bad as you guys say or after residency/fellowship could I limit my practice to part time or a "light patient load" to make time for things I want?
 
viostorm said:
Wow, all this stuff about CT surgery is terribly depressing.

I don't want to be a jerk, I want to have a good relationship with my wife, I want to have a family. More and more it is looking like IM/Cards for me

I'm not terribly worried about not matching CT surgery, i feel I'm a strong applicant on paper with good scores and research, a hard worker, and not a horrible person. My wife is also going to be a physician and she is thinking OB/GYN.

Is it truly as bad as you guys say or after residency/fellowship could I limit my practice to part time or a "light patient load" to make time for things I want?
Click to expand...


Surgery is fairly unfriendly to part time physicians. One of the major reasons beyond the "mind-set" of surgeons, is that large groups want to divide expenses evenly. Their costs are no different for a full-time vs part-time partner/employee - ie, your malpractice will be the same, the secretarial staff, etc. but you will only be bringing in half the income. Doesn't make sense from a business stand-point.

For an academic practice (although it sounds weird there are community CTS groups), this is less an issue because those costs are rolled into your salary. However, with so many people looking for a job most places have their pick of CT surgeons...why would they want someone part time or someone who works less than the rest of the group. If you could somehow prove that you have "earned your keep" you might be able to convince someone...but I think you'll have trouble doing it, especially in such a high rolling field as CT. You are expected to cover your fair share of the call, and the patient load.

But never say never...anything is possible.
 
Kimberli Cox said:
Eh, you're afraid of commitment anyway, what are you worried about?:meanie:
Click to expand...

Touche!

viostorm said:
I'm not terribly worried about not matching CT surgery, i feel I'm a strong applicant on paper with good scores and research, a hard worker, and not a horrible person.
Click to expand...

You probably knew this already, but don't forget that the hard part is matching into General Surgery, not CT Surgery.
 
Blade28 said:
You probably knew this already, but don't forget that the hard part is matching into General Surgery, not CT Surgery.
Click to expand...

I actually didn't know that! Thanks.

So is the market currently saturated with CT surgeons or are they in demand?
 
viostorm said:
I actually didn't know that! Thanks.

So is the market currently saturated with CT surgeons or are they in demand?
Click to expand...

You should do a search of this commonly-addressed topic, or wait a couple days for my FAQ ( 🙂 ), but suffice to say it's tough to get a good job in many big cities after fellowship.
 
We have a CT surgery group here that doesn't work much with the residents and has no fellows. There are about 8 of them, and they are primarily assisted by SA and PA's. They do mostly CABs, valves, roots, ect with occassional thoracic cases mixed in. Most of the management is from the Cardiologist/Pulmonologist except for the immediate postop period. The younger guys tell my wife (who works for them) to keep me as far away from CT surgery as possible. However from the outside it doesn't look to bad. They only occasionally operate at night. Most look like they are living very comfortable.
 
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
Hair Transplant Surgeon
Replies
0
Views
294
percyeye
P
I
Life of a CT Surgeon
Replies
8
Views
4K
Circ Arrest
C
N
Maximizing wRVUs - Cardiac Surgeon
Replies
3
Views
3K
operaman
O
Adrenaline Junky
Reputation of integrated (I6) CT Programs
Replies
2
Views
1K
Saigon
Saigon
Bassurgery
Planning to apply for CT Surgery fellowship
Replies
3
Views
4K
SociableJimmy
SociableJimmy
Top Bottom