I want to be a surgeon but I'm not sure If I can be one.

[softballtennis]

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I am a high school freshman, in my biology class we dissected frogs last week. I decided to opt out and do an essay instead. I really want to be a surgeon but I'm scared of cutting open people and doing actually surgeries. Do you think I should still head the pre-med route or should I do something else with my life?

 

[Tolbert]

Assuming you're not a troll..

there is no need to not do pre-med just because you don't want to dissect. There are many kinds of doctors, you don't have to cut into people (besides cadavers in medical school) if you don't truly want to.

 

[Arijos0222]

I am a high school freshman, in my biology class we dissected frogs last week. I decided to opt out and do an essay instead. I really want to be a surgeon but I'm scared of cutting open people and doing actually surgeries. Do you think I should still head the pre-med route or should I do something else with my life?

Hi.

I like your interest in being a physician. I think you should be open to many possibilities in medicine. Practicing medicine is a nasty place and it isn't ideal for everyone.

Having said that, I think you should enjoy your high school years and not think about being a Physician too much until Junior year, however I think you should stay active on the site to see the new developments in medicine and how politics are affecting it. 🙂

P.S. I would like to be a Physician and i'm interested in the surgical management of patients, and when I dissected a frog freshman sophomore year, I felt bad for cutting a dead being.

However, I dissected a heart this year and I was anxious to use the knowledge I had to see all the valves, veins, and arteries that made up the vessel.

I think some people get over it, some others don't. You have time, though, don't you worry. 🙂

Good luck!

 

[Medstart108]

I am a high school freshman, in my biology class we dissected frogs last week. I decided to opt out and do an essay instead. I really want to be a surgeon but I'm scared of cutting open people and doing actually surgeries. Do you think I should still head the pre-med route or should I do something else with my life?

You'll get over it. I used to be afraid of seeing blood on TV and whenever i would see any sort of open heart anything i wouldn't be able to watch.

Then i did co-op at a crtical care unit and saw real blood and fat and pus. Wasn't even not afraid, i was excited and wanted to explore.

Now in med school i made the first cut, held human hearts in my hand, poked and prodded it, juggled some lungs, poked and prodded the inside of a skull and brain.

You can still go to pre-med route.

 

[nysegop]

I am a high school freshman, in my biology class we dissected frogs last week. I decided to opt out and do an essay instead. I really want to be a surgeon but I'm scared of cutting open people and doing actually surgeries. Do you think I should still head the pre-med route or should I do something else with my life?

You don't have to be a surgeon but you could do something closely related to surgery like anesthesiology. If you want to be a surgeon though, you have to get used to cutting. But who knows, by the time you're in college maybe you will be more comfortable.

 

[softballtennis]

You'll get over it. I used to be afraid of seeing blood on TV and whenever i would see any sort of open heart anything i wouldn't be able to watch.

Then i did co-op at a crtical care unit and saw real blood and fat and pus. Wasn't even not afraid, i was excited and wanted to explore.

Now in med school i made the first cut, held human hearts in my hand, poked and prodded it, juggled some lungs, poked and prodded the inside of a skull and brain.

You can still go to pre-med route.

I hope so because I really want to be a surgeon , hopefully I will get used to cutting open people by the time I'm in med school.

 

[Arijos0222]

You'll get over it. I used to be afraid of seeing blood on TV and whenever i would see any sort of open heart anything i wouldn't be able to watch.

Then i did co-op at a crtical care unit and saw real blood and fat and pus. Wasn't even not afraid, i was excited and wanted to explore.

Now in med school i made the first cut, held human hearts in my hand, poked and prodded it, juggled some lungs, poked and prodded the inside of a skull and brain.

You can still go to pre-med route.

Listen to the Medical Student, softballtennis.... For he is holy.

 

[softballtennis]

Listen to the Medical Student, softballtennis.... For he is holy.

I will thank you for your advice, I will continue doing well in high school so I can get into a good college and go to med school.

 

[Toothshucker]

I hope so because I really want to be a surgeon , hopefully I will get used to cutting open people by the time I'm in med school.

You'll most likely change your mind many times anyways. Worry about getting into medical school first.

 

[neusu]

I am a high school freshman, in my biology class we dissected frogs last week. I decided to opt out and do an essay instead. I really want to be a surgeon but I'm scared of cutting open people and doing actually surgeries. Do you think I should still head the pre-med route or should I do something else with my life?

Most surgery is far different than say suturing up a facial laceration in the emergency department where the patient is awake and yelling and actively bleeding. In surgery, whether purposeful or not, steps are taken to remove the person from the procedure. The site is marked and prepped and the patient draped in such a fashion that you can not tell it actually is a person. Most of the operation is conducted in a procedural fashion: incision, cautery, dissection, critical portion, suturing, and wound closure. The only time you can tell it's a person is before the drapes are placed and after they are removed. This may or may not help, and to get to this step you will have to get through medical school involving dissecting a cadaver and a multitude of other things to humans that could be considered disgusting or obscene. Nonetheless, being afraid to cut someone open and sew them back up is natural. Proper training and learning techniques helps to improve confidence and take that fear away.

 

[softballtennis]

Most surgery is far different than say suturing up a facial laceration in the emergency department where the patient is awake and yelling and actively bleeding. In surgery, whether purposeful or not, steps are taken to remove the person from the procedure. The site is marked and prepped and the patient draped in such a fashion that you can not tell it actually is a person. Most of the operation is conducted in a procedural fashion: incision, cautery, dissection, critical portion, suturing, and wound closure. The only time you can tell it's a person is before the drapes are placed and after they are removed. This may or may not help, and to get to this step you will have to get through medical school involving dissecting a cadaver and a multitude of other things to humans that could be considered disgusting or obscene. Nonetheless, being afraid to cut someone open and sew them back up is natural. Proper training and learning techniques helps to improve confidence and take that fear away.

I know but it's just scary doing surgery, I wouldn't want to make a mistake on a patient and ruin their life.

 

[Tolbert]

I know but it's just scary doing surgery, I wouldn't want to make a mistake on a patient and ruin their life.

Really, that could be applied to a lot of specialties imo.


Simple solution - be perfect


srsly tho

 

[Law2Doc]

Assuming you're not a troll..

there is no need to not do pre-med just because you don't want to dissect. There are many kinds of doctors, you don't have to cut into people (besides cadavers in medical school) if you don't truly want to.

Um you have to do a surgery rotation as well as procedures in a lot of other rotations in med school. It is not accurate to suggest you do cadaver dissections and nothing else. You won't pass med school without sticking scalpels, needles and tubes into living patients.

I agree most people get used to it, but also would suggest that those who go to med school self select for those most likely to be able to get used to it. I seriously doubt anyone in my med school class was the type to avoid doing a biology dissection.

 

[Tolbert]

@Law2Doc, thanks for the correction, I guess I didn't really think about that. But, I still think it's too early to say he shouldn't do pre-med just because he didn't want to dissect in 9th grade.

 

[Arijos0222]

I like how everyone thinks things in medicine is nasty.

Podiatry- Feet are gross.

Dentistry- Mouths all day? No thanks.

Medicine- Wait, do I really like, have to stick... That thing.... In that guy....?

Pharmacy- I heard you have to take a gross anatomy class... Is that true? I don't want to see dead people...

Veterinarian- No one told me I had to give this cow a rectal exam... What? I stick my whole arm in there?!

Please, people. If you don't want to see "nasty" things, go in to Psychology

Neusu is a Neurosurgery resident, he cuts through flesh to view people's brains and spines

I don't know what kind of resident Law2Doc is, but i'm 100% sure that he had to do a couple of rectal exams and most definitely had to rotate in OB/GYN. 🙄

 

[Law2Doc]

I like how everyone thinks things in medicine is nasty.

Podiatry- Feet are gross.

Dentistry- Mouths all day? No thanks.

Medicine- Wait, do I really like, have to stick... That thing.... In that guy....?

Pharmacy- I heard you have to take a gross anatomy class... Is that true? I don't want to see dead people...

Veterinarian- No one told me I had to give this cow a rectal exam... What? I stick my whole arm in there?!

Please, people. If you don't want to see "nasty" things, go in to Psychology

Neusu is a Neurosurgery resident, he cuts through flesh to view people's brains and spines

I don't know what kind of resident Law2Doc is, but i'm 100% sure that he had to do a couple of rectal exams and most definitely had to rotate in OB/GYN. 🙄

You won't get through med school rotations or intern year without becoming adept at digital rectal exams, putting Foley catheters into people, doing pelvic exams, sticking needles and feeding tubes into people, and even participating in surgical procedures. You get used to it, but you have to be the type of person willing to get used to it, and again, that not usually th person too squeamish to do a high school biology dissection.

 

[Doctor Bob]

You won't get through med school rotations or intern year without becoming adept at digital rectal exams, putting Foley catheters into people, doing pelvic exams, sticking needles and feeding tubes into people, and even participating in surgical procedures.

I was thinking about it earlier; in the course of work I'm pretty sure I've had every body fluid splashed on or thrown at me at one point or another.

 

[nysegop]

I was thinking about it earlier; in the course of work I'm pretty sure I've had every body fluid splashed on or thrown at me at one point or another.

Thrown on you? Do tell!

 

[Doctor Bob]

Thrown on you? Do tell!

Yea... you get the crazy patients who like to throw poo or semen, or anything else they can get their hands on (or into their hands).

Welcome to the emergency department.

 

[Arijos0222]

Yea... you get the crazy patients who like to throw poo or semen, or anything else they can get their hands on (or into their hands).

Welcome to the emergency department.

FECES AND SEMEN? I can't even comprehend or fathom how something like this can even happen...

Just another day on the job, eh?

 

[nysegop]

Haha. Oh god. I seriously hope i don't get semen thrown on me.

 

[sonofva]

i no joke had a patient rip out an IV line from his arm the other day and try to splash me with HIV laden blood... 🙁

 

[Arijos0222]

i no joke had a patient rip out an IV line from his arm the other day and try to splash me with HIV laden blood... 🙁

😱 What the hell, it's crazy how people act towards other people who are just trying to help them.

And you're the innocent bystander!!! You're only a medical student

 

[Medstart108]

Even just in high school when i was working in the critical care unit there were periods where a patient would crap their pants (these patients are all intubated and unconscious for the most part) and the smell would just soak the whole department. You just have to learn to love the smell of feces and convince yourself to stay in place and not run away lol.

 

[futuresurgeon00]

Even just in high school when i was working in the critical care unit there were periods where a patient would crap their pants (these patients are all intubated and unconscious for the most part) and the smell would just soak the whole department. You just have to learn to love the smell of feces and convince yourself to stay in place and not run away lol.

I volunteered at a nursing home last summer, and it was the same thing there. The first time I just had to breathe through my nose, (and convince myself it smelled perfectly fine) until I got used to the stench of feces.

 

[nysegop]

Oh god. The horror!

 

[futuresurgeon00]

Oh god. The horror!

lol....I'm not too sure if you're being sarcastic or totally serious...(the downsides of communicating through the internet 🙁).....;b

 

[nysegop]

lol....I'm not too sure if you're being sarcastic or totally serious...(the downsides of communicating through the internet 🙁).....;b

Little bit of both.

 

[LucidSplash]

I also opted out of dissection in high school. In college biology I let my partner do most of the work with the fetal pig and I did not take A&P as an elective because I did not want to dissect a cat. After I graduated I worked in preclinical toxicology for awhile and was frequently required to observe animal necropsies with clients and it did not bother me but I was glad I did not have to take part. I did my fair share of the dissection work in medical school anatomy but I did not really enjoy it. In fact, I was convinced, based on these experiences with preserved cadaveric tissues that I was not interested in surgery. Fast forward to my last rotation of 3rd year: surgery. Being in the OR with living patients in possession of living tissues and seeing what surgeons ACTUALLY do on a day-to-day basis rocked my world. I have never wanted to do anything else since.

You simply can't base your thinking on this issue around a discomfort with cadaveric dissection. I still dislike cadaveric dissection so it is a good thing I did not have my heart set on pathology (even though I did a forensic pathology elective in 4th year of medical school - great for the anatomy but glad I only had to do it for a month). But it is simply completely different from surgery. Keep your mind open; most med students don't really know what will interest them until they get to experience clinical rotations but do not let these concerns dissuade you from considering medicine as a career in general. (Goodness knows there's plenty of other more valid concerns to ponder in the process).

 

[Tolbert]

I also opted out of dissection in high school. In college biology I let my partner do most of the work with the fetal pig and I did not take A&P as an elective because I did not want to dissect a cat. After I graduated I worked in preclinical toxicology for awhile and was frequently required to observe animal necropsies with clients and it did not bother me but I was glad I did not have to take part. I did my fair share of the dissection work in medical school anatomy but I did not really enjoy it. In fact, I was convinced, based on these experiences with preserved cadaveric tissues that I was not interested in surgery. Fast forward to my last rotation of 3rd year: surgery. Being in the OR with living patients in possession of living tissues and seeing what surgeons ACTUALLY do on a day-to-day basis rocked my world. I have never wanted to do anything else since.

You simply can't base your thinking on this issue around a discomfort with cadaveric dissection. I still dislike cadaveric dissection so it is a good thing I did not have my heart set on pathology (even though I did a forensic pathology elective in 4th year of medical school - great for the anatomy but glad I only had to do it for a month). But it is simply completely different from surgery. Keep your mind open; most med students don't really know what will interest them until they get to experience clinical rotations but do not let these concerns dissuade you from considering medicine as a career in general. (Goodness knows there's plenty of other more valid concerns to ponder in the process).

👍👍

 

[goofball]

You're like 14. Way too young to worry about this stuff yet.

Focus on having fun and doing whatever high school kids do these days.

 

[Tolbert]

Most high schoolers I know of smoke weed and party every weekend.

high school probz

 

[Arijos0222]

Most high schoolers I know of smoke weed and party every weekend.

high school probz

Me too. Almost every girl here isn't a virgin.

 

[Tolbert]

Me too. Almost every girl here isn't a virgin.

^ seriously, they kinda make me feel out of place because I prefer black ops over getting high

and i am a senior so I guess it's time to find some hookers so i can be normal guy

 

[Eiot]

I am a high school freshman, in my biology class we dissected frogs last week. I decided to opt out and do an essay instead. I really want to be a surgeon but I'm scared of cutting open people and doing actually surgeries. Do you think I should still head the pre-med route or should I do something else with my life?

I was scared my first time dissecting goat hearts in bio class too, but once I started doing it I thought it was fascinating. Your best advice would be to stop avoiding it, try it, and if you don't like it, then figure out something else you'd like to do. There are plenty of doctor specialties that don't require cutting people open. 🙂

I hope so because I really want to be a surgeon , hopefully I will get used to cutting open people by the time I'm in med school.

I just saw this after posting. Why do you want to be a surgeon so bad if you hate the thought of cutting people open?

 

[futuresurgeon00]

Me too. Almost every girl here isn't a virgin.

Really? Here there are say 10-15 girls out of 150-175 girls that have lost their v cards....well most of the girls here who have lost it are the druggies, the smokers and the really desperate ones (the ones that will do anything to have a "boyfriend").....

 

[Solomon]

Most high schoolers I know of smoke weed and party every weekend.

high school probz

Story of every high school in my town.

Really? Here there are say 10-15 girls out of 150-175 girls that have lost their v cards....well most of the girls here who have lost it are the druggies, the smokers and the really desperate ones (the ones that will do anything to have a "boyfriend").....

Unfortunately, My school is full of those (the druggy, smoker kinds).

 

[LucidSplash]

So, do you judge the non-virginal guys the same way you are judging these girls? And you all clearly have first-hand knowledge of the varying levels of sexual experience of these women? Shame on you all. College will certainly throw you all for a loop though.

 

[Tolbert]

So, do you judge the non-virginal guys the same way you are judging these girls?

Uh... I do.




And if you want to party and/or get high, I am fine with that. I never said I was judging them, I was simply stating what the majority of the people (who I know specifically and don't make it a secret) do..

Never said anything about the girls specifically so I'm going so assume you're talking to the rest of them.



Going to college this fall, we'll see if it does "throw me for a loop."

 

[Winged Scapula]

I would also be careful about assumptions/rumors about other's virginity or lack thereof.

From first hand experience, I can tell you that not everyone reputed to be having sex, is. I was certainly no "druggie, smoker or desperate for a boyfriend" type of girl but when you look a certain way, other girls can make life miserable for you by spreading such rumors.

 

[Tolbert]

I would also be careful about assumptions/rumors about other's virginity or lack thereof.

From first hand experience, I can tell you that not everyone reputed to be having sex, is. I was certainly no "druggie, smoker or desperate for a boyfriend" type of girl but when you look a certain way, other girls can make life miserable for you by spreading such rumors.

Agree 100%.👍
High school is full of crazy rumors, no disputing that.

 

[goofball]

Ok, when I told you to worry about high school things rather than med school things, I meant stuff like videogames and AP Chemistry, not drugs and sex.

Hell, when I was your age, I don't think I even knew what sex was.




Anyways, don't worry about being worried about cutting things open. I never liked dissecting animals either, but I'm still considering surgery as a career choice, though I have 3 years to make my decision.

 

[j814wong]

At my high school, we never dissected a single thing. Not even an earthworm!

 

[Quaxton]

At my high school, we never dissected a single thing. Not even an earthworm!

We dissected frogs and earthworms in middle school.

p.s. Not to mention sheep eye and squid.

 

[Tolbert]

At my high school, we never dissected a single thing. Not even an earthworm!

that stinks. We at least got to dissect a pig in my anatomy class, and will be doing a starfish in a few weeks in my marine science class 😀