preliminary decision making re: gen surg

[ladymaven]

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Hi everyone - I am a rookie that could use a little advice from the "elders". : )

I'm in the middle of my general surgery clerkship and completely stunned and surprised that I am loving it.... except that my "master plan" was for Peds, and I've got it all figured out, planned away, 100% airtight. But, now I'm a little nervous that I might want surgery instead, but I have no plan for that AT ALL. (Besides that, now I'm stuck thinking about being one of those "phantom parents" who has no quality time for the children I might someday have!)

So, any advice about how you knew gen surg was the right residency for you? I just want to decide asap so I can get a move on. (I just hate not having a plan!) Thanks for any advice!! ~LadyMaven

 

[Pilot Doc]

Hi everyone - I am a rookie that could use a little advice from the "elders". : )

I'm in the middle of my general surgery clerkship and completely stunned and surprised that I am loving it.... except that my "master plan" was for Peds, and I've got it all figured out, planned away, 100% airtight. But, now I'm a little nervous that I might want surgery instead, but I have no plan for that AT ALL. (Besides that, now I'm stuck thinking about being one of those "phantom parents" who has no quality time for the children I might someday have!)

So, any advice about how you knew gen surg was the right residency for you? I just want to decide asap so I can get a move on. (I just hate not having a plan!) Thanks for any advice!! ~LadyMaven

Parenting: while residency is difficult, you can set your own schedule as an attending. If you want a predictable schedule and/or lots of time off, it's acheivable. There will be a tradeoff in either income, professional satisfaction or location, but it's very doable. Certainly, a general surgeon willing to make what a pediatrician makes can have a VERY nice lifestyle.

How to know: I could spend 14 hrs (or more) at the hospital during my surgery rotation and come home with energy to go out/read/etc. No other rotation did that for me. Another test is seeing if you generally fit in with the residents and attendings in surgery vs. other fields. (e.g. Guys who want to have long hair and wear funny ties go into Neurology) Do not confuse this with admiration for a particular mentor.

http://www.womensurgeons.org/ is a great resource - they have a fairly active email list that fields questions like yours. (I assume you're a woman)

As for having a "plan" - all you need to do right now is work hard. Even you decide for sure, there's not much more to do.

 

[DrDawg]

"How to know: I could spend 14 hrs (or more) at the hospital during my surgery rotation and come home with energy to go out/read/etc. No other rotation did that for me."

Definately agree with that. I spoke with some attending toward the end of my clerkship also to see what their life was like outside of surgery. Bottomline is if something is important to you, you find time.

 

[ExtraCrispy]

lady: You're describing the exact same scenario through which I suffered!

I had my sights set on peds for three years, made all the necessary contacts, had my LORs and sub-Is lined up for fourth year. Then, at the very end of third year - literally my LAST rotation - I completed my gen surg clerkship and loved it. I was in quite a dilemma.

To decide, I first completed a sub-I in peds that I'd already arranged, then did a couple of sub-Is in surgery. After completing gen surg, I realized right away during my peds sub-I that peds wasn't for me. As others have mentioned, I found that long hours in surgery went by faster and were much more fulfilling than fewer hours in any other specialty. I sat down and had a long talk with my husband, and was surprised to discover that he fully supported the switch, despite the rigorous schedule - although he saw me less, when I was on a surg sub-I I was happier than I'd been in a long time, and that meant a lot to him.

As others have mentioned, the most difficult part will be residency - there are options once you're an attending to tailor your schedule as needed. I did a rotation out at a tiny hospital in Cooperstown, NY, a rural community on the edge of a big lake, and the surgeons there all had families and full, rich lives. It's all about what position you seek when you're an attending, academic vs. community, full-time vs. part-time, etc.

If by the end of third year you're still undecided, I'd recommend doing a sub-I or two in surgery. This will also help you for LORs - for peds, you can pretty much submit any LORs you want, as long as just one of them comes from a pediatrician. Not so in surgery - you need letters from surgeons ONLY. If you do a sub-I in surg, you can not only have a chance to decide, but you'll have the opportunity to garner those letters if you decide on the surgery route. If by the end of the month you decide on peds, you'll be no worse for wear as you can ask faculty from other clerkships for letters.

Best of luck to you as you decide. If you have any questions along the way, please feel free to PM me - I can definitely understand your situation.

 

[ladymaven]

thanks, everyone, for the great advice -- i think i definitely fit in best with the surgeons -- at least more than any other clerkship i've had...

one more question. do you suggest speaking with my staff now to ask if they would write me a LOR (and maybe get it on file ahead of time) or should i wait until i see how peds turns out? i'd really rather not waste their time, if possible.

also (make that 2 more questions), just out of curiosity, when did you meet with your chief of surgery to get his/her letter?

 

[DNASplicer]

I would meet with your chair as soon as you can and let them know you are 100% for surgery. Of course have a list of questions for him/her.

I have written emails to surgeons i have worked with that I want to get LORs asking if they would be willing, jsut as a heads up for them. The official request for LORs will go out later when I have my personal statement done, etc.

Good Luck!