Random question about surgeons vs. other specialties

[auburnO5]

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So I'm sitting here trying to figure out how in the world I am going to pick a specialty (I am only an MS1, so I realize I have a year or two to sort this out), and for as long as I can remember I have always seen myself going in to surgery. I guess I have just always viewed them as the most competitive, highest paid, most respected specialty out there. Basically just bad*****e$.

Well, as I have gotten more experience working with surgeons, seeing their lifestyles, personalities, etc., I realize that I probably do not want to go in to surgery.

So I guess my concern is that I will eventually choose another specialty, however I will feel somewhat insignificant and like I am still not the "MFIC."

Am I crazy for thinking this way? Do other doctors actually think like this? I guess I just don't have enough experience in the hospital to really know all of the dynamics. Do I just have an inferiority complex? Probably.

 

[MrBeauregard]

I, too, want to go into surgery and have always been attracted to the nearly infinite level of confidence many surgeons have. I worked for quite a few years in an OR before medical school and got tons of exposure working with many surgeons of numerous specialties, and they all seem to be in possession of an incredible fund of knowledge and experience to tackle nearly any situation. I have heard numerous times that if you want to find the most competent, confident, skilled and knowledgeable person in the hospital, look to the chief surgical resident. Is this true in all cases? Absolutely not. But I'd say it's generally true across the board. One plastic surgeon I worked with did his residency and JHU and told me that he operated himself into some trouble one time during his general surgery residency. He looked to his chief, who happened to be sitting on a stool in the corner of the room, for some help. The chief looked at him and said, "Tommy, there's nothing you can do right now that I can't fix." This is the type of bad*****ness that you're talking about, and it's probably what attracts people like us to the field.

Even if you don't want to go into surgery, can you still be the MFIC in your chosen specialty? Absolutely. Just work hard and go balls to the wall every day. Just because you aren't a surgeon doesn't mean you can't be a crazy good ER doc or an awesome anesthesiologist, but the dynamic of your day-to-day job just won't be the same.

Surgeons definitely aren't the highest paid out there (not general, at least) and if we're still talking about general, it's also not the most competitive. But surgeons are the most invasive. It takes ego and guts to cut someone open. I had another surgeon tell me that if you're a medicine doc and you give too much fluid, give lasix. If you give too much lasix, give fluid. But the surgeon can never take back that incision. Once they make it, they made it and have to live with it.

Just keep on going and you'll eventually find what you want to go in to.

 

[sunset823]

Am I crazy for thinking this way? Do other doctors actually think like this? I guess I just don't have enough experience in the hospital to really know all of the dynamics. Do I just have an inferiority complex? Probably.

are you crazy to think like this? yes
do other doctors actually think like this? yes, many
Half my class 'wants' to go into surgery (I'm not one of them, never have been) - how many will actually do so? well, not half the class, I can guarantee that. Med students are in general type A personalities who tend to have pretty big egos, and inevitably fall into Alec Baldwin's famous 'god complex' (Youtube it if you haven't seen it). I think this is particularly prevalent in those who have no real life experience.

I am one of the 'older' students in the class, and I never came into medicine for the prestige, because face it, there's not that much, whether in surgery or anywhere else. The funny thing is a few of my (female) friends who have gone into surgery were never ones who were interested in it to begin with, and were actually leaning towards something like peds coming in. I didn't even know what I wanted to do being a non-trad from a non-science background, but I found my niche in a field that's definitely not known for prestige (ICU - unless you find some power trip in having to notify families of the potential organ donation of a loved one on a daily basis - I don't, I just find the field very fulfilling).

I guess as an M1 you haven't had a chance to become completely jaded, though you're getting there, but I think at some point most people in med school realize where their priorities lay. For a few, a false sense of prestige and being MF'in "in charge" (in charge of what exactly? do the surgeons run the hospital? No, the MBA CEO of the hospital runs the hospital) will continue to lead them down a path that they never fully think about, and they just arrange the rest of their life around this conveniently. But for most, at some point they'll figure out that family life/outside hobbies/etc. are more important to them, or they find a field (even family med) that they are truly passionate about. You just really need to be introspective and think about what you want your life to be when you're 35 years old, not when you're 22.

And in response to the previous poster, there are many surgeons who completely forget their medicine once they go into surgery. So, no they do not know everything - nobody in medicine does, but really, I think the field that requires the broadest fund of knowledge is...*shock* family medicine. (and I have nothing against surgeons, I've found myself personality wise gravitating to the surgeon/EM types and know quite a few).

 

[Residual]

As far as I know, your dick doesn't grow any bigger upon completion of a surgical residency.

Do what you like.

 

[chiz2kul]

this thread has so much potential

 

[45408]

I'm just going to leave this right here:

[YOUTUBE]kw6K5QwPmp4[/YOUTUBE]

 

[colbgw02]

I sorta feel bad for the surgery residents in my hospital. They're always tired and look like a recently-beaten puppy. I'm glad someone is willing to do it, but I'm happy that I don't have to. They can chest bump and wax poetic about how awesome they are for working 125 hours a week and only sleeping 3 hours a night as much as they want, but I'm having a hard time hearing you from the road noise as I'm on my way home to see my family.

 

[nitemagi]

I'm just going to leave this right here

While I love scrubs, my take home from this is this is his fantasy.

 

[45408]

While I love scrubs, my take home from this is this is his fantasy.

It's the fantasy of a medicine resident though, not of a surgery resident. 😉

 

[ACSurgeon]

As far as I know, your dick doesn't grow any bigger upon completion of a surgical residency.

Do what you like.

Common myth... you're looking at the data before adjusment. Look more closely, and you'll see that it does.

 

[ACSurgeon]

So I'm sitting here trying to figure out how in the world I am going to pick a specialty (I am only an MS1, so I realize I have a year or two to sort this out), and for as long as I can remember I have always seen myself going in to surgery. I guess I have just always viewed them as the most competitive, highest paid, most respected specialty out there. Basically just bad*****e$.

.

All true...

 

[ACSurgeon]

So I'm sitting here trying to figure out how in the world I am going to pick a specialty (I am only an MS1, so I realize I have a year or two to sort this out), and for as long as I can remember I have always seen myself going in to surgery. I guess I have just always viewed them as the most competitive, highest paid, most respected specialty out there. Basically just bad*****e$.

Well, as I have gotten more experience working with surgeons, seeing their lifestyles, personalities, etc., I realize that I probably do not want to go in to surgery.

So I guess my concern is that I will eventually choose another specialty, however I will feel somewhat insignificant and like I am still not the "MFIC."

Am I crazy for thinking this way? Do other doctors actually think like this? I guess I just don't have enough experience in the hospital to really know all of the dynamics. Do I just have an inferiority complex? Probably.

In all seriousness though, you should do what you love. You MUST love surgery enough (or think you do) to do it. You must love it for the pathology involved, the type of patients, and the type of care you'll provide (medical and surgical).

Do alot of surgeons have a god complex?

[YOUTUBE]8g2dkDh4ov4[/YOUTUBE]

But you don't get to feel that great until you've paid your dues for 5-9 years AFTER medical school in the most brutal training program ever. So, dreaming of becoming the "MFIC" won't sustain you.

 

[ACSurgeon]

/.

 

[Bacchus]

are you crazy to think like this? yes
do other doctors actually think like this? yes, many
Half my class 'wants' to go into surgery (I'm not one of them, never have been) - how many will actually do so? well, not half the class, I can guarantee that. Med students are in general type A personalities who tend to have pretty big egos, and inevitably fall into Alec Baldwin's famous 'god complex' (Youtube it if you haven't seen it). I think this is particularly prevalent in those who have no real life experience.

I am one of the 'older' students in the class, and I never came into medicine for the prestige, because face it, there's not that much, whether in surgery or anywhere else. The funny thing is a few of my (female) friends who have gone into surgery were never ones who were interested in it to begin with, and were actually leaning towards something like peds coming in. I didn't even know what I wanted to do being a non-trad from a non-science background, but I found my niche in a field that's definitely not known for prestige (ICU - unless you find some power trip in having to notify families of the potential organ donation of a loved one on a daily basis - I don't, I just find the field very fulfilling).

I guess as an M1 you haven't had a chance to become completely jaded, though you're getting there, but I think at some point most people in med school realize where their priorities lay. For a few, a false sense of prestige and being MF'in "in charge" (in charge of what exactly? do the surgeons run the hospital? No, the MBA CEO of the hospital runs the hospital) will continue to lead them down a path that they never fully think about, and they just arrange the rest of their life around this conveniently. But for most, at some point they'll figure out that family life/outside hobbies/etc. are more important to them, or they find a field (even family med) that they are truly passionate about. You just really need to be introspective and think about what you want your life to be when you're 35 years old, not when you're 22.

And in response to the previous poster, there are many surgeons who completely forget their medicine once they go into surgery. So, no they do not know everything - nobody in medicine does, but really, I think the field that requires the broadest fund of knowledge is...*shock* family medicine. (and I have nothing against surgeons, I've found myself personality wise gravitating to the surgeon/EM types and know quite a few).

Well said.

 

[officedepot]

So I'm sitting here trying to figure out how in the world I am going to pick a specialty (I am only an MS1, so I realize I have a year or two to sort this out), and for as long as I can remember I have always seen myself going in to surgery. I guess I have just always viewed them as the most competitive, highest paid, most respected specialty out there. Basically just bad*****e$.

Well, as I have gotten more experience working with surgeons, seeing their lifestyles, personalities, etc., I realize that I probably do not want to go in to surgery.

So I guess my concern is that I will eventually choose another specialty, however I will feel somewhat insignificant and like I am still not the "MFIC."

Am I crazy for thinking this way? Do other doctors actually think like this? I guess I just don't have enough experience in the hospital to really know all of the dynamics. Do I just have an inferiority complex? Probably.

dude seriously you're just going to have to get over yourself. I'm not trying to be mean. I def used to be like you and think pretty much the same crap. HOWEVER, once you start learning a lot more and seeing patients and seeing the hurt of family members, loved ones, patients themselves, etc. you'll hopefully change. I changed especially when I saw my grandfather die. It's hard and you're going to realize that patients are not just bodies for you to learn on and your career is not just for your own ego. You will be treating people with husbands/wives, kids, parents, etc. They are looking to you for help.

I initially wanted to go into medicine partly for prestige and partly bc I didn't know what else to do with my high grades, etc. I wanted to do surgery not only bc I liked anatomy but mainly bc I thought those guys are just cool. HOWEVER that has changed for sure. It changes when you see patients as people and not just bodies or money like lots of docs do.

So yeah I still want to do surgery but now mainly bc that really is the field I currently like and feel comfortable with the material the most right now (on the wards). I also feel like it is a field I will be able to directly make a difference in someone's life with my hands (in a literal sense of course). I have also learned that docs of all fields are extremely knowledgable about thier subject and one person cannot hope to know everything. Yeah you gotta have an ego to cut someone open but you gotta have an ego to think that a medication you'll give them is the correct one (int med for example). You just gotta have an ego to be a doc in general.

So my advice is to focus on patients as people without getting too emotionally attached (though I think it is healthy to have some emotions - it's human afterall). Focus on what field you enjoy the most and what type of doctor your personality matches best with. In your second year try shadowing lots of different fields and you'll begin to see a difference in the type of doctors out there. You also have to decide what you want to get out of your career and what is more important to you - eg as others have said = work or family/outside life or a good balance. But beware you can make your work as intense as you want it to be no matter the field so just choose something you like doing and don't mind working with docs in the same field (if you can't stand surgeons then surgery may not be the best field - yeah they have egos prob bigger than most for one reason or another so just be prepared to take more heat from them). Also don't forget fields with less patient contact like pathology, radiology, etc. Seriously it's not bad if patients rub you the wrong way or for whatever other many various reasons to pick those fields.

I could go on but you'll learn eventually/hopefully. Just try and not be so full of yourself and do some soul searching and you'll be fine. I like your question and am glad you posted it bc lots of med students think the same way and they'll think the same way for many other fields out there besides surgery thats for sure. Every doc has his/her place and just learn to respect them all.

 

[cowme]

for as long as I can remember I have always seen myself going in to surgery. I guess I have just always viewed them as the most competitive, highest paid, most respected specialty out there. Basically just bad*****e$.

So I guess my concern is that I will eventually choose another specialty, however I will feel somewhat insignificant and like I am still not the "MFIC."

Am I crazy for thinking this way? Do other doctors actually think like this? I guess I just don't have enough experience in the hospital to really know all of the dynamics. Do I just have an inferiority complex? Probably.

From your post, u sound like you would choose to be a surgeon out of insecurity and others opinions of you rather than doing what you love. That is a terrible reason to choose the most demanding specialty in medicine.

 

[bomgd3]

I personally think that wanting to become a bad ass mother f*cker is a great reason to choose a specialty, or a good rule for life in general.

 

[nitemagi]

I personally think that wanting to become a bad ass mother f*cker is a great reason to choose a specialty, or a good rule for life in general.

I congratulate you for cultivating your inner psychopath.

 

[auburnO5]

dude seriously you're just going to have to get over yourself. I'm not trying to be mean. I def used to be like you and think pretty much the same crap. HOWEVER, once you start learning a lot more and seeing patients and seeing the hurt of family members, loved ones, patients themselves, etc. you'll hopefully change. I changed especially when I saw my grandfather die. It's hard and you're going to realize that patients are not just bodies for you to learn on and your career is not just for your own ego. You will be treating people with husbands/wives, kids, parents, etc. They are looking to you for help.

I initially wanted to go into medicine partly for prestige and partly bc I didn't know what else to do with my high grades, etc. I wanted to do surgery not only bc I liked anatomy but mainly bc I thought those guys are just cool. HOWEVER that has changed for sure. It changes when you see patients as people and not just bodies or money like lots of docs do.

So yeah I still want to do surgery but now mainly bc that really is the field I currently like and feel comfortable with the material the most right now (on the wards). I also feel like it is a field I will be able to directly make a difference in someone's life with my hands (in a literal sense of course). I have also learned that docs of all fields are extremely knowledgable about thier subject and one person cannot hope to know everything. Yeah you gotta have an ego to cut someone open but you gotta have an ego to think that a medication you'll give them is the correct one (int med for example). You just gotta have an ego to be a doc in general.

So my advice is to focus on patients as people without getting too emotionally attached (though I think it is healthy to have some emotions - it's human afterall). Focus on what field you enjoy the most and what type of doctor your personality matches best with. In your second year try shadowing lots of different fields and you'll begin to see a difference in the type of doctors out there. You also have to decide what you want to get out of your career and what is more important to you - eg as others have said = work or family/outside life or a good balance. But beware you can make your work as intense as you want it to be no matter the field so just choose something you like doing and don't mind working with docs in the same field (if you can't stand surgeons then surgery may not be the best field - yeah they have egos prob bigger than most for one reason or another so just be prepared to take more heat from them). Also don't forget fields with less patient contact like pathology, radiology, etc. Seriously it's not bad if patients rub you the wrong way or for whatever other many various reasons to pick those fields.

I could go on but you'll learn eventually/hopefully. Just try and not be so full of yourself and do some soul searching and you'll be fine. I like your question and am glad you posted it bc lots of med students think the same way and they'll think the same way for many other fields out there besides surgery thats for sure. Every doc has his/her place and just learn to respect them all.

Thanks for the response. I really am not full of myself at all, I can definitely see how you could get that from my question though. I think it was just hard to word the question a good way.

Good advice though 👍 Hopefully I can figure it out as I become more exposed to other specialties.

 

[officedepot]

Thanks for the response. I really am not full of myself at all, I can definitely see how you could get that from my question though. I think it was just hard to word the question a good way.

Good advice though 👍 Hopefully I can figure it out as I become more exposed to other specialties.

yeah I didn't mean anything by it, I promise 🙂 I try not to judge others but this is the internet afterall.

Anyway I also wrote a lot of that stuff because lots of other students will think that their field is the most prestigious. I've heard people in my class say dermatologists are the best bc it's the hardest residency to get.

Prestige is all in the eye of the beholder. I've also heard hematologists call surgeons mechanics and not really as smart as them. Moral of the story is that every field of medicine is full of egomaniacs who think they are the best and their field is the most important. Just gotta learn to deal with people like that I guess... You'll get prestige from the general public no matter what. TV likes surgeons bc it's more exciting for TV.