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Please convince me that surgery is not something I want to go into.
Good reasons NOT to go into surgery?
- Thread starter bigbassinbob
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I began heavily researching the surgical field as a MS1 & now as time comes to get my nose to the grindstone on ERAS, I can find plenty of reasons why people wouldn't want to go into surgery: one of the most (if not THE most) taxing call & work schedule of any residency (& then also as an attending), occasional (or frequent) bad personalities, never doing anything just the way the attending wants it done, stupid consults, necrotizing fascitis, early mornings & late nights....the list of negatives seems to go on & on.
All that being said, I loved almost every minute of my experience on my general surgery rotation. I find the pathology that general surgery sees to be fascinating. I love laparoscopic cases & actually like bariatrics (except the post-op complications). From herniorrhaphies to ex laps I really enjoyed assisting in all the procedures I scrubbed. I actually like the fact that you start as low man on the ladder & get more & more freedom in the OR as you show your abilities.
My point is (& I'm sure others will say the same)...If you can see yourself doing something else, you probably shouldn't go into surgery. I can't see myself doing anything else & that makes the potentially negative aspects of surgery that I listed above worthwhile for me.
All that being said, I loved almost every minute of my experience on my general surgery rotation. I find the pathology that general surgery sees to be fascinating. I love laparoscopic cases & actually like bariatrics (except the post-op complications). From herniorrhaphies to ex laps I really enjoyed assisting in all the procedures I scrubbed. I actually like the fact that you start as low man on the ladder & get more & more freedom in the OR as you show your abilities.
My point is (& I'm sure others will say the same)...If you can see yourself doing something else, you probably shouldn't go into surgery. I can't see myself doing anything else & that makes the potentially negative aspects of surgery that I listed above worthwhile for me.
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the hours and lack of freedom with your schedule are probably the toughest part to stomach. Unlike your IM friends who sign out to night float or whatever else they have, surgery happens when it has to happen, no matter the time of day or night.
In ENT we get the super long head and neck cancer surgery cases with no real predictable finish time or the late in the day pseudo-urgent trach case. It's a fact of life. Making plans with friends or your SO is very tough to do. It takes a very understanding group of friends.
In ENT we get the super long head and neck cancer surgery cases with no real predictable finish time or the late in the day pseudo-urgent trach case. It's a fact of life. Making plans with friends or your SO is very tough to do. It takes a very understanding group of friends.
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Go to any other specialty forum (particularly anesthesia, emergency medicine and radiology) and ask them this question. They are the people who "liked surgery as a med student rotation, but..." didn't end up doing it for the reasons you seek. Everyone here couldn't convince him/herself not to do it, so they shouldn't be able to convince you, either.
