Any positives??

[MystikBliss]

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I've been reading through this forum as I move through my surgery rotation. We all know the negatives and I think sometimes we get a little bogged down in it all. What are some of the positive experiences you've had or are having during your surgery rotation?

 

[FL350]

There was one day I didn't get yelled at, and another day when I was not refered to as *****, imbecil, idiot, ****** or jacka$$. Those were both very positive experiences.

 

[tussy]

the ultimate positive:

Seeing a patient in clinic, tellling him he has cancer and outlining the treatment plan, reassuring him that we plan to do whatever we can to cure his cancer. Seeing the patient in hospital, performing his surgery and having everything go well. Seeing the same patient in the followup clinic and reviewing his pathology with him, telling him that there is a good chance that his cancer is cured; meeting his wife and children, recieving a hug from his wife for "saving his life".

When it comes down to it in the end it is all about the patients and the difference you can make in their life. Try to keep that in focus as you go thru all the trials and tribulations of medical school and residency. It is worth it in the end.

 

[JaggerPlate]

the ultimate positive:

Seeing a patient in clinic, tellling him he has cancer and outlining the treatment plan, reassuring him that we plan to do whatever we can to cure his cancer. Seeing the patient in hospital, performing his surgery and having everything go well. Seeing the same patient in the followup clinic and reviewing his pathology with him, telling him that there is a good chance that his cancer is cured; meeting his wife and children, recieving a hug from his wife for "saving his life".

When it comes down to it in the end it is all about the patients and the difference you can make in their life. Try to keep that in focus as you go thru all the trials and tribulations of medical school and residency. It is worth it in the end.

Very nice!! 👍

 

[roja]

Ex lap. Nothing cooler.


carotid endarterectomy. Beautiful procedure.

Bypass grafts.

Cracking a chest and putting your hands on a heart and/or lungs.

Replacing an aorta from stem to stern.

taking out a kidney, revascularizing it and putting it back in... working.


Just a few things I saw and thought were amazingly cool.

 

[Winged Scapula]

While many are disparaging of my field, I find it very rewarding to treat patients with cancer. Even when I cannot save their lives, it means a lot to me to have patients entrust their body to me in an effort to prolong their life.

 

[njbmd]

Every time I look into any part of a living human being, I marvel at the human body and its inner workings. For me, it's just a privilege to do this job even on the "bad days". I never forget that I can do things that other people have no idea of how to even approach. I also remember that I have a daily reminder of just how fragile life is and how it's great to just enjoy the little things like the sun coming up or the rain against the window.

 

[shag]

There are many positives to being a surgeon, otherwise all of us would be doing anesthesia now. The life of a surgeon can be hard, and the life of a resident harder. Even with the 80 hr work week, we continue to work harder than residents training in any other speciality.

In addition to real work, a lot of "scut" work is involved. Frustrating things are common, such as missing out on learning opportunities, such as performing coronary artery bypass anastamoses or even vein harvesting, because physicians assistants are hired for this purpose. In cases such as this, the resident gets to write all the notes, put in all the orders, get all the 2:00 am tylenol calls, dictate all the discharge summaries, and receive all attending wrath in the OR because the PA knows that he/she doesn't have to put up with it.

This forum provides a chance to vent, so there is some skew toward the negative aspects being a surgery resident. There is a lot of satisfaction involved with curing surgical illness and getting critically ill patients through life threatening situations. Personally, I couldn't imagine being happy doing anything else (clarificatin: being a surgeon, NOT being a resident🙂)