If you hadnt got into surgery what would be your alternative choice

[Kahreek]

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[Dr.LeoSpaceman]

At the time, I probably would have said interventional cardiology. Now, I'd be pretty tempted by Pulm/CCM. I like the ICU/sick patients, and they're research (at least where I'm at) is appealing.

 

[ACSurgeon]

EM
Anesthesia
GI
Pulm/CC

Not in any order

 

[Kahreek]

......

 

[Winged Scapula]

Probably Derm.

 

[mimelim]

Probably Derm.

I would shoot myself.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I would shoot myself.

Really?

Because non-surgical options are any better?

I thought long and hard about this answer. GI would be good except I couldn't stand the IM residency. EM? No thank you - I don't care for the mindset there. Anesthesia? Nope...I'd be bored and someone would die. Rad Onc? Maybe but I hated physics and I hate the side effects that patients complain about. There isn't much left. At least with Derm you can do procedures, good lifestyle and money.

 

[mimelim]

Really?

Because non-surgical options are any better?

I thought long and hard about this answer. GI would be good except I couldn't stand the IM residency. EM? No thank you - I don't care for the mindset there. Anesthesia? Nope...I'd be bored and someone would die. Rad Onc? Maybe but I hated physics and I hate the side effects that patients complain about. There isn't much left. At least with Derm you can do procedures, good lifestyle and money.

Three things.

#1 I don't think that I would enjoy an office/out patient based specialty.
#2 I don't think that I could handle the types of patients that end up being your bread and butter.
#3 I don't think that I would fit in with the Derm residents/future colleagues.

I think #2 is the biggest thing to be honest. I like older, sicker patients. I prefer taking someone from hopeless to marginally less hopeless than what Dermatologists do (I won't describe because I'll offend someone).

 

[mimelim]

I'll preface this next part by saying... I'm sure that a lot of people could/do find Derm fulfilling. But...

I don't think that I could do something like it and feel like my job had enough meaning and I would end up leaving medicine entirely very rapidly. The caveat to that of course is that I love living/breathing surgery and I still may not end up being a practicing surgeon 20 years from now based on where most of my outside interests are going.

 

[Winged Scapula]

That's exactly why I'd do ED.

Not doing surgery would require me to completely reject my current mindset. So embracing the antithetical mindset would be the way to go.

Well okay if we are including the stipulation that we must change who we are at our core then I guess emergency medicine would be okay LOL

 

[Winged Scapula]

Three things.

#1 I don't think that I would enjoy an office/out patient based specialty.
#2 I don't think that I could handle the types of patients that end up being your bread and butter.
#3 I don't think that I would fit in with the Derm residents/future colleagues.

I think #2 is the biggest thing to be honest. I like older, sicker patients. I prefer taking someone from hopeless to marginally less hopeless than what Dermatologists do (I won't describe because I'll offend someone).

I understand.

Your three reasons for avoiding Derm are probably my three reasons for choosing it. I'm already in a largely office-based specialty and although I'd always rather be in the operating room I don't mind being in the office.

Secondly, given the location of my practice and my specialty, my patient population is often not far from what you're envisioning being seen in dermatology. However I think you are assuming that all dermatology is cosmetics. There are very many non-aesthetic type practices.

Lastly, I'm often mistaken for a dermatologist so must fit in with them quite well!

But I do understand why it wouldn't work for you.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I'll preface this next part by saying... I'm sure that a lot of people could/do find Derm fulfilling. But...

I don't think that I could do something like it and feel like my job had enough meaning and I would end up leaving medicine entirely very rapidly. The caveat to that of course is that I love living/breathing surgery and I still may not end up being a practicing surgeon 20 years from now based on where most of my outside interests are going.

Well that's the rub isn't it? I'm not saying I would find Derm endlessly interesting or fulfilling, but I don't think it was an option to say , "GTFO Surgery or die!"

Honestly I'm the kind of person that could probably be happy doing 1000 different things but within medicine there aren't a lot that I would actually enjoy which are non-surgical.

 

[mimelim]

Well that's the rub isn't it? I'm not saying I would find Derm endlessly interesting or fulfilling, but I don't think it was an option to say , "GTFO Surgery or die!"

Honestly I'm the kind of person that could probably be happy doing 1000 different things but within medicine there aren't a lot that I would actually enjoy which are non-surgical.

Its funny, I say the same thing a lot, except that I broaden to 1000 different professions, not exclusive to medicine. I could just have easily gone to law school (almost did) or ended up doing any number of different things. But, after 3 years in surgical residency, I think that this quote from Top Gun sums me up pretty nicely... "You're not going to be happy unless you're going Mach-2 with your hair on fire." I like the chaos, acuity, uncertainty, and I like being around the sick patients. Vascular gives me that, trauma/critical care give me that, as do several other hospital specialties. I just can't imagine a Derm practice that could be enough in that direction.

I may also be a little grumpy with Derm since we consulted them Saturday and they still haven't come by yet. But... I don't think that is impacting me... much...

 

[Slack3r]

Three things.

#1 I don't think that I would enjoy an office/out patient based specialty.
#2 I don't think that I could handle the types of patients that end up being your bread and butter.
#3 I don't think that I would fit in with the Derm residents/future colleagues.

I think #2 is the biggest thing to be honest. I like older, sicker patients. I prefer taking someone from hopeless to marginally less hopeless than what Dermatologists do (I won't describe because I'll offend someone).

Take healthy to healthy with less pimples? 😉

 

[Winged Scapula]

Its funny, I say the same thing a lot, except that I broaden to 1000 different professions, not exclusive to medicine. I could just have easily gone to law school (almost did) or ended up doing any number of different things.

I hear ya - I'm also the same in that I could be happy in doing 1000 non-medical things as well.

But, after 3 years in surgical residency, I think that this quote from Top Gun sums me up pretty nicely... "You're not going to be happy unless you're going Mach-2 with your hair on fire." I like the chaos, acuity, uncertainty, and I like being around the sick patients. Vascular gives me that, trauma/critical care give me that, as do several other hospital specialties. I just can't imagine a Derm practice that could be enough in that direction.

I used to be like that and then surgical residency happened. I resented never being able to say when I was coming home, whether I could make dinner reservations etc. I I resented the drunks which took time away from my family and took other's families away from them. I grew to hate the uncertainty and chaos.

I may also be a little grumpy with Derm since we consulted them Saturday and they still haven't come by yet. But... I don't think that is impacting me... much...

Are you sure they even know where the hospital is? 😛

(I had the exact same situation awhile back - was trying to get ahold of a patient's dermatologist to clarify some medication they had prescribed and left them a message on Friday morning; they didn't call back until Tuesday -- and that was after I had called a second time. I'm guessing they don't check messages not he weekends).

 

[DermatoFIGHT]

I understand.

Your three reasons for avoiding Derm are probably my three reasons for choosing it. I'm already in a largely office-based specialty and although I'd always rather be in the operating room I don't mind being in the office.

Secondly, given the location of my practice and my specialty, my patient population is often not far from what you're envisioning being seen in dermatology. However I think you are assuming that all dermatology is cosmetics. There are very many non-aesthetic type practices.

Lastly, I'm often mistaken for a dermatologist so must fit in with them quite well!

But I do understand why it wouldn't work for you.

vast majority of dermatology is not cosmetics. From what I have seen I would say maybe less than 5%. Many time aestheticians do injections (if they nurses).

Its funny, I say the same thing a lot, except that I broaden to 1000 different professions, not exclusive to medicine. I could just have easily gone to law school (almost did) or ended up doing any number of different things. But, after 3 years in surgical residency, I think that this quote from Top Gun sums me up pretty nicely... "You're not going to be happy unless you're going Mach-2 with your hair on fire." I like the chaos, acuity, uncertainty, and I like being around the sick patients. Vascular gives me that, trauma/critical care give me that, as do several other hospital specialties. I just can't imagine a Derm practice that could be enough in that direction.

I may also be a little grumpy with Derm since we consulted them Saturday and they still haven't come by yet. But... I don't think that is impacting me... much...

Derm pace is really heavy. I found general surgery 15+ hour days to be less grueling than dermatology office days. Seeing 80 patients is hard to describe. Derm has lots of sick patients (mentally)

Picture this: 17 year old girl.......... prom in 3 weeks........ pimple on her nose........... Mother in hysterics as she tries to relive her unfulfilled life through her daughter....... I think about it and sweat begins to bead upon my forehead and palms.... arms spaghetti....Game time game time baby, no mistakes, Enrique Iglesias Hero song plays in my head as I inject triamcinolone into the pimple. Disaster thwarted

 

[mimelim]

vast majority of dermatology is not cosmetics. From what I have seen I would say maybe less than 5%. Many time aestheticians do injections (if they nurses).


Derm pace is really heavy. I found general surgery 15+ hour days to be less grueling than dermatology office days. Seeing 80 patients is hard to describe. Derm has lots of sick patients (mentally)

Picture this: 17 year old girl.......... prom in 3 weeks........ pimple on her nose........... Mother in hysterics as she tries to relive her unfulfilled life through her daughter....... I think about it and sweat begins to bead upon my forehead and palms.... arms spaghetti....Game time game time baby, no mistakes, Enrique Iglesias Hero song plays in my head as I inject triamcinolone into the pimple. Disaster thwarted

No offense, but if that is the best you got is a 17 year old complaining about a pimple, thats pathetic. I can't tell if you were trying to make a joke or not.

 

[DermatoFIGHT]

No offense, but if that is the best you got is a 17 year old complaining about a pimple, thats pathetic. I can't tell if you were trying to make a joke or not.

the part above it was serious,

the 17 yr old pimple not really (although you get patients that act like life is over from that).

Derm sees so much skin cancer that you are always cutting out melanoma. You do a lot of cutting in office, you do MOHS, you do flaps and local reconstruction, you do small excisions, you diagnose some weird diseases beyond psoriasis and acne, you see some. Derm is a lot more hands on then people think it is. It isn't brain surgery but you do procedures. Some do cosmetic junk too.

 

[Winged Scapula]

vast majority of dermatology is not cosmetics. From what I have seen I would say maybe less than 5%. Many time aestheticians do injections (if they nurses).

Yes I understand that most is not HOWEVER:

1) I said exactly that and that I enjoyed office visits;

2) my interest in Derm WOULD be for aesthetics (which is more than just aesthetics) which is exactly why I mentioned it.

We're just having fun here; no need to defend your specialty.

 

[JayDoc06]

Speaking of antithesis- I would consider palliative care. Not kidding. Nowhere is quality care more lacking and more needed.

 

[DermatoFIGHT]

Yes I understand that most is not HOWEVER:

1) I said exactly that and that I enjoyed office visits;

2) my interest in Derm WOULD be for aesthetics (which is more than just aesthetics) which is exactly why I mentioned it.

We're just having fun here; no need to defend your specialty.

no I understand that, most of these forum posts are just fun.

 

[MDDoubleD]

If I couldn't do NS I'd want to be Fighter pilot/Astronaut (by the way, can fifty something attending neurosurgeons be astronauts?).

If I had to stay in medicine, Anesthesia probably, ER, optho, then suicide then anything else

 

[DoctwoB]

If I couldnt be a surgeon I would do:

CCM: physiology in action, some procedures, sick patients. I would go through the anesthesia route because I'd much rather be in a SICU than a MICU.

GI: The advanced gi stuff (ercp/eus) is pretty cool, though doing 2 fellowships would be painful.

IR: cool procedures, but I would miss the critical thinking and diagnosis aspect of medicine.

Realistically I think I could be happy doing a lot of things. Then again, I went to medical school to be a doctor first. The fact that I can be a surgeon is just gravy.

 

[massmocha]

I'm going into ortho, I was asked this question on an interview. I really liked my rotation with family medicine in the sports med clinic. I think I would have done the family med/sports med track

 

[filter07]

IR
Anesthesia