Well, I feel as if I'm defending my future specialty when really I don't think it needs defending. But that's what these forums are for, to let people vent.
Although Whisker Barrel has some good points, they may be slightly over generalized or more correctly, too specialized towards big cities and academic institutions.
•••quote:••• 2. The lifestyle: Even after residency, surgeons are expected to work long hours. Most of the attendings I worked with were in the hospital until 7-9 routinely and were on call for emergencies every 4-6 days. ••••Wow! This is definitely not the norm for general surgeons. The call may be q4-6 but staying in the hospital until 7-9 routinely is rare for attendings in most practices (remember, most people don't practice academic medicine). Even our attendings at our academic institution are home before 6pm on most days and our chairman will make sure you know that.
•••quote:•••3. The limitations of general surgery: Basically general surgeons in most places are limited to butts, guts, hernias, and breasts. Many people do fellowships.
••••Again, this is in large private hospitals and academic institutions for the most part. In actuality, in the smaller towns of North America (say less than 75,000 people) general surgeons are the ENTs, Vascular, Trauma, Endocrine, Laparascopic, Gyn, and even Orthopedic surgeons. When all you see is your academic institution, you don't really get a good feel of what the guys out there in the trenches do day-in and day-out. I've been fortunate enough to have first hand experience in the smaller towns and it really is a totally different world.
BTW, what's wrong with butts, guts, hernias, and breasts? That stuff is fun surgery!
•••quote:••• 4. The advance and encroachment of other fields: Many medical subspecialties, such as Cardiology, GI, Pulmonology have taken away procedures from surgeons by doing the less invasive ones. Vascular and Interventional radiology has also taken away many general and vascular surgery cases. ••••It is true that different surgeries are being done less frequently do to advancements in medicine. Isn't that what we're all trying to do? Anyway.
The medical subspecialties are a good thing for surgeons. We will be performing surgery on patients who really NEED the surgery and are going through surgery as a last resort (which it should be). There is definitely no paucity of surgery especially with our aging population. Many vascular and CT surgeons work side-by-side with these other specialties to improve patient outcomes. I think CT has been hardest hit by cardiology but I think it is due to the fact that cardiology continues to move forward with technology while CT has fallen a bit behind. Maybe this will kick CT surgeons into gear to create better surgeries for their patients. Capitalistic societies rule!!
•••quote:••• 5. The personalities: This is changing somewhat, but a higher proportion of surgeons tend to be real egotistical A--holes who treat residents, nurses, students, etc like crap. Not all, but, in my opinion, a higer percentage than other specialties. ••••Tough to defend this one. It's all about the environment you have been exposed to. I have only met one resident who I had trouble getting along with but so did everyone else. I have never seen a surgeon throw anything, yell at anyone, or be an a**hole. I know they exist but they are really the rarity. Those certain individuals tend to stick out above the rest and thereby give the entire specialty a bad rep. It sucks but it is true that people far outweigh and therefore remember their one bad experience above the 10 good ones they had prior to the bad one.
I'm not going to be able to convince anyone that surgery is better than ______ (insert specialty here). I just don't want anyone to have misperceptions about specialties simply based upon there experience in a malignant academic atmosphere.
I due agree however that the hours suck.
