does anyone notice that most surgeons are pretty tall?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
You are not imagining it. A study published in BMJ proves it: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7582/1291

The best line from the article, IMHO: "How do surgeons become taller and better looking than physicians? Firstly, surgeons spend a lot of time in operating rooms, which are cleaner, cooler, and have a higher oxygen content than the average medical ward, where physicians spend most of their time. Furthermore, surgeons protect (but not always properly) their faces with surgical masks, a barrier to facial microtrauma, and perhaps an effective anti-ageing device (which deserves further testing). "
 
Wow. I always thought that was just one of those things that everyone talks about but you kind of file away in the b.s. drawer. I'm 6'5" (not sure about the handsome thing). Makes me feel like my destiny is chosen for me already! I wonder if there are correlations between that and the stereotyped personalities as well.
 
MossPoh said:
Wow. I always thought that was just one of those things that everyone talks about but you kind of file away in the b.s. drawer. I'm 6'5" (not sure about the handsome thing). Makes me feel like my destiny is chosen for me already! I wonder if there are correlations between that and the stereotyped personalities as well.
Click to expand...

Ummm....you're not being serious, right? Right? 😕

(I'm just making sure. I have to ask, because I know that there are lot of people in pre-allo who seem to take this BMJ article seriously, when it's clearly a joke. After all, one of the lines from that article is:

Thirdly, the evaluation process of the good looking score is subjective, but we have no reliable alternative. The best known alternative published in the literature (asking a mirror, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?") works only for queens, a notable shortcoming of this test. Although it is widely known that the mirror always spoke the truth, at present we do not have access to this device (not currently supplied by the Spanish national health system).

And I know that WingedScapula didn't intend for you to take it seriously either....)
 
Never looked at the article, but trust me...I've read journal articles with weirder things said. I've seen plenty of studies done with such arbitrary things such as height. Frankly, I'm too lazy to look at most of the links and had no idea that was a common discussion in pre-allo. I go into that area about once every 2 weeks to read some obscure thing. Most of those kids are the reason I didn't want to go to med school the first time.

One was a lit review and involved the title Wine, Vinaigrette or Vinegar...and it was talking about conservation biology topics from the 1930s till the 1980s.
 
mednoob said:
ive seen quite a number of surgeons and got to shadow some...and theyre all atleast 6 feet and over except this one orthopod that was like 5'8" and skinny lol.
Click to expand...

For me, this wasn't the case.

A lot of the [male] surgeons that I saw during my rotation were my height (5' 4") or even shorter.

MossPoh said:
Never looked at the article, but trust me...I've read journal articles with weirder things said.
Click to expand...

If you ever get a chance, read it! It's a really good article - probably one of my favorite humorous articles.
 
Sorry...I was joking. Hence the italics on the word "proves" in my response above.😛

Joking aside, I have seen and worked with many tall surgeons. Our pediatric surgery department was well known for this every one of the attendings was well over 6 feet tall. It must have been murder for them to operate with me (at 5'5"). Of course, there are many tall non-surgeons as well, so my observations do not prove anything anymore than the BMJ article does.
 
I love BMJ. they have the best sense of humor. Although I haven't noticed an abundance of overtly tall surgeons in the places I have been.

Ortho guys tend to look rather 'frat-ish'. And of course, of the four absolutely best looking docs I have ever laid eyes on, two are trauma surgeons, one is IM and one is EM.


I can forgive the IM because he is stunning, fabulous, french and wanted to do EM.
 
roja said:
Ortho guys tend to look rather 'frat-ish'. And of course, of the four absolutely best looking docs I have ever laid eyes on, two are trauma surgeons, one is IM and one is EM.
Click to expand...

I can see that you haven't worked with enough plastic surgeons.
 
Walking around at a comfortable 6'2" .... no, I haven't found enough tall surgeons. I've worked with several in the 5'4" - 5'6" range, and while I'm sure they taught me a lot, I don't remember most of it after repeatably getting struck in the head with the lights 😀
 
We have maybe one or two surgeons on the taller side, but for the most part they're all around average height. With the exception of one particular surgeon who barely comes up to my shoulders(I'm 5'7).
 
roja said:
And of course, of the four absolutely best looking docs I have ever laid eyes on, two are trauma surgeons, one is IM and one is EM.
Click to expand...

Or met me.

The fact that the above poster took this article seriously makes me weep-- only a bit-- for humanity.

I will say, as a girl it's not often that you're told you "look like surgery," but being on the tall side (5'10 in clogs) definitely helped.
 
Blonde- I'm sure your stunning. I just prefer men to oogle. So, you wouldn't be good eyecandy. 🙂


Dre- plenty of plastics. Maybe I just don't like that pretty-i-am-trying-to-hold-on-to-my-teenage-years boy next door thing. 😉
😀
 
roja said:
Blonde- I'm sure your stunning. I just prefer men to oogle. So, you wouldn't be good eyecandy. 🙂


Dre- plenty of plastics. Maybe I just don't like that pretty-i-am-trying-to-hold-on-to-my-teenage-years boy next door thing. 😉
😀
Click to expand...

Ha! Think Sloan from Grey's (minus the grey hair).

You must be watching too much Dr. 90210 if you think we're all pretty boys.
 
Winged Scapula said:
You are not imagining it. A study published in BMJ proves it: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7582/1291

The best line from the article, IMHO: "How do surgeons become taller and better looking than physicians? Firstly, surgeons spend a lot of time in operating rooms, which are cleaner, cooler, and have a higher oxygen content than the average medical ward, where physicians spend most of their time. Furthermore, surgeons protect (but not always properly) their faces with surgical masks, a barrier to facial microtrauma, and perhaps an effective anti-ageing device (which deserves further testing). "
Click to expand...

This was hilarious, but I think the "best line" winner has to be one of these:

1) The tallest and most handsome male students were more likely to go for surgery, and the shortest (and perhaps not so good looking) ones were more likely to become physicians

or

2) the tagline for the BMJ heading is "Helping Doctors Make Better Decisions."

Priceless.
 
Winged Scapula said:
Must be the sense of commanding authority I project (or the heels I now regularly wear in the office)!😛
Click to expand...

wow. I too am thrown off by this. From all your posts I could've sworn you were a 6'3" dude...come to find out you are a 5'5" blondie...that is HOT!

😎
 
Tyc00nman said:
wow. I too am thrown off by this. From all your posts I could've sworn you were a 6'3" dude...come to find out you are a 5'5" blondie...that is HOT!

😎
Click to expand...

YOU I forgive, if only because you are a new member (and because of the last line).😛

Socialist knows better (at least my gender, if not my height). Plus my picture is available here...perhaps I should post one of me standing next to a measuring stick or sumthin so I can prove my averageness (in height).
 
Winged Scapula said:
YOU I forgive, if only because you are a new member (and because of the last line).😛

Socialist knows better (at least my gender, if not my height). Plus my picture is available here...perhaps I should post one of me standing next to a measuring stick or sumthin so I can prove my averageness (in height).
Click to expand...

Im not going to object to any pictures thats for sure. Might I suggest standing next to a steel pole with your scrubs on? Only to get a real gauge of height, ofcourse.
 
Ewwwwwwwwwwww, that guy from 90210 is nasty.


Sloan is not so much pretty as just a bad boy. 😀 But both of them are way to pretty.


But I get to sit back and just oogle, because I'm an old ugly attending. 😀
 
mednoob said:
ive seen quite a number of surgeons and got to shadow some...and theyre all atleast 6 feet and over except this one orthopod that was like 5'8" and skinny lol.
Click to expand...

Well, I do not know about general surgeons, but most of the Orthopods I met (at least the residents), fit your stereotype of tall, hhhhhhunky, slllllllllim, ttttthhhhickkkk males...yummy:laugh:

Other stereotypes:

-Most ENTs and Ophthos are asians?

-Most Neurosurgeons are middle-eastern?

-Most females in Ophthal are HOT.

...while most females in GS are bitchy (Except WS, off-coarse)😍
 
*dies laughing*

attractive smart successful and lazy with the ladies..... Which one doesn't belong? 😉
 
roja said:
*dies laughing*

attractive smart successful and lazy with the ladies..... Which one doesn't belong? 😉
Click to expand...

I'm not single--I don't think my girlfriend would approve of any McSteamy-type behavior. 😀
 
DrDre311 said:
I'm not single--I don't think my girlfriend would approve of any McSteamy-type behavior. 😀
Click to expand...

😉 I was just teasing. you made it sound like you sit back and let the ladies do all the work. 😀😎😛




*** but now I see what you meant. you don't try and woo the ladies.... because you aren't single.***** I'm giddy. I am on my last shift at one of my hospitals and tomm night is my last shift in NYC>
 
roja said:
😉 I was just teasing. you made it sound like you sit back and let the ladies do all the work. 😀😎😛




*** but now I see what you meant. you don't try and woo the ladies.... because you aren't single.***** I'm giddy. I am on my last shift at one of my hospitals and tomm night is my last shift in NYC>
Click to expand...

Well...now, that would just be un-surgeon-like. Can't let the ladies do all the work or it wouldn't be any fun.
 
Wow. But they're talking about guys I guess. I definitely won't fit the stereotype as a 5' (exactly) nonbitchy (I'd like to think) female in GS. :meanie:
 
Leukocyte said:
Well, I do not know about general surgeons, but most of the Orthopods I met (at least the residents), fit your stereotype of tall, hhhhhhunky, slllllllllim, ttttthhhhickkkk males...yummy:laugh:

Other stereotypes:

-Most ENTs and Ophthos are asians?

-Most Neurosurgeons are middle-eastern?

-Most females in Ophthal are HOT.

...while most females in GS are bitchy (Except WS, off-coarse)😍
Click to expand...

lol. those stereotypes are so true
 
the surgery team rounding in the morning looks tall and imposing because it's mostly guys...compare that to a flock of peds residents...

the other stereotype is that most cardiac fellows are foreign.
 
I'm five feet tall, *if* I round up.

My program director - who calls me "Mighty Mouse" - says that the only complaint he has against me is my height. "It gets annoying, to operate with you when you have to move that stand-ee around all the time!"

Height is definitely an advantage in this field.
 
Leukocyte said:
-Most Neurosurgeons are middle-eastern?

-Most females in Ophthal are HOT.
Click to expand...

I've not heard these. All the neurosurgeons I know are white guys, and the optho people (both guys and gals) I know are definitely not hot. Except one guy who is absolutely smokin'.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Jimmyjohn7
How are people standardizing laparoscopic & thoracic port placement teaching?
Replies
0
Views
251
Jimmyjohn7
Jimmyjohn7
Crayola227
A Useless Organ That Doctors Often Remove
Replies
6
Views
3K
dienekes88
D
tinyhandsbob
NYC hip orthopedic surgeons
Replies
1
Views
3K
kevindurant98
K
1
Spinal Exposure Surgeons
Replies
21
Views
4K
TypeADissection
TypeADissection
amoxicillin_resistant
  • Question Question
Does the type of research you do matter for GS?
Replies
2
Views
2K
Dr.LeoSpaceman
Dr.LeoSpaceman
Top Bottom