Surgery Sucks

[Hoo\/er]

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I have no idea why anyone would want to do surgery. 12+ hour days, rounding on the weekends, having to operate on people who can't pay...it all sucks. Surgery is for losers.

Hoov

 

[Purifyer]

I have no idea why anyone would want to do surgery. 12+ hour days, rounding on the weekends, having to operate on people who can't pay...it all sucks. Surgery is for losers.

Hoov

🙁

 

[Mike59]

As one of the world's most Non-surgically-minded people, I would still rather rotate through surgery 3 times over than go a busy night on L&D ever again!

 

[Winged Scapula]

I have no idea why anyone would want to do surgery. 12+ hour days, rounding on the weekends, having to operate on people who can't pay...it all sucks. Surgery is for losers.

Hoov

Obviously I'm biased...but there are plenty of other specialties with 12 hour + days, rounding on weekends (not only surgeons have inpatients) and patients who can't pay. Internal medicine patients who can't pay still have to be hospitalized...I'd rather operate on someone for free than round on them endlessly. But to each his own...

 

[FutureOrthoDoc]

I have no idea why anyone would want to do surgery. 12+ hour days, rounding on the weekends, having to operate on people who can't pay...it all sucks. Surgery is for losers.

Hoov

If you don't want to do it, don't do it!! BTW...If you ever need help with a GSW to the chest, I'm sure some loser surgeon will be there to help you.

 

[jennie 21]

As one of the world's most Non-surgically-minded people, I would still rather rotate through surgery 3 times over than go a busy night on L&D ever again!

Really? I thought surgery was supposed to be the worst (well, anyway toughest) rotation. Is it the general consensus that OB/GYN is harder?

 

[Smurfette]

I have no idea why anyone would want to do surgery. 12+ hour days, rounding on the weekends, having to operate on people who can't pay...it all sucks. Surgery is for losers.

Hoov

Rather a trollish post.

If these reasons are why you think surgery sucks, boy are you going to be in for a rude awakening. These reasons are pervasive in medicine in general, not just to surgery.

Many specialties have 12+ hour days...especially medicine & it's subspecialties, surgery, surgery specialties, OB, Peds, neuro, anesthesia. Most specialties have overnight call responsibilities (exception: ER, many derm). Even pathologists and ophthos take call.

Rounding on weekends....if you admit people to the hospital or treat hospitalized patients, you round on weekends. In fact, unless on call on a weekend day, usually the surgeons are in and out of the hospital 3 times faster and much earlier than the internists and FPs....since surgeons don't usually operate on elective cases on weekends, and they round much faster than other specialties.

Guess what?!! EVERY SPECIALTY TREATS PATIENTS WHO CAN'T PAY. I'm not exaggerating. Far more frustrating than giving a patient a life-saving surgery when they cannot pay for it are the endless number of uninsured patients being treated in the ER that will keep coming back regularly for minor complaints and will never pay a single bill. And ERs cannot decline to treat these patients either.

 

[johnny_blaze]

I have no idea why anyone would want to do surgery. 12+ hour days, rounding on the weekends, having to operate on people who can't pay...it all sucks. Surgery is for losers.

Hoov

I’d rather have a 12+ hour day in surgery than spending 5 hour days in a derm clinic. Booooooorrrrring zzzzzzzzzzzz 😴

I guess it just depends on what you find interesting

 

[ericdamiansean]

I think surgery's over rated, no disrespect to them though, I know some really good ones whom I've mad respect for

I"ve a lecturer who said "Surgeons are good tailors"

And another senior student said "Surgeons are stupid, they see a problem, they cut it, and find out there's nothing wrong and the supposed appendicitis is referred pain, and they sew the bugger back up and send him to an internist"

 

[double elle]

I have no idea why anyone would want to do surgery. 12+ hour days, rounding on the weekends, having to operate on people who can't pay...it all sucks. Surgery is for losers.

Hoov

Wow...
Being stuck in an office, seeing the same faces day after day, being confined to the walls of your practice (as opposed to the many places to wonder around the hospital)....hmm, let's see - what else can I think of...oh, yeah - seeing the same patients every month because, even though they don't need to see you, they need some sort of attention and you (being the primary care doc) are the shoulder to lean on for all their problems that they don't have the self-discipline or the motivation to do something about. Having to educate the same patients over and over (and over) about why their kids are constantly sick when they are blowing cigarette smoke in their toddler's faces....or why they can't lose weight but they have every excuse in the book about why they can't exercise....or why you have to keep refilling pain meds, but they have no intention of going to physical therapy to help with the problem.....or having to deal with the fact that a parent is upset about having an obese/ADD/or whatever kid, and wants you to make the situation better without taking any responsibility whatsoever.

THAT seems like fun.

Most patients that receive surgery don't SEEK IT OUT - they have a legitimate problem that you can (hopefully) do something about and then send them back to their primary care doc after the issue has resolved. When you are the PCP, they totally seek you out over and over for endless problems that never seem to resolve. To me, that sucks the life completely out of me - taking care of patient's with problems they could TOTALLY control if they chose to. Surgery, for the most part, is taking care of patients with problems they really can't control. (Appy, Chole, bowel obstructions, etc....)

Everyone likes something different....luckily!!! 😀

 

[sacrament]

I think surgery's over rated, no disrespect to them though, I know some really good ones whom I've mad respect for

I"ve a lecturer who said "Surgeons are good tailors"

And another senior student said "Surgeons are stupid, they see a problem, they cut it, and find out there's nothing wrong and the supposed appendicitis is referred pain, and they sew the bugger back up and send him to an internist"

I like to bag on surgeons as much as the next guy, but this is just silly. Some of the brighest doctors I know are surgeons--their job typically isn't diagnostic to the same degree as, say, an internist, but an internist's job isn't typically as therapeutic as a surgeon's.

 

[EctopicFetus]

Havent we had enough of these *****ic type posts.. This specialty sucks or what i do is so important and what you people do is boring or requires no intelligence. Come on people no need to bad mouth others.

If you were truly happy with your life you wouldnt feel the need to denigrate others.

 

[Fantasy Sports]

Surgeons are the smartest doctors in the hospital... or at least, that is what they keep telling me.

I think doctors are too trained into being THE MAN and hate relying on others. The more training they have, the less they want to have to rely on anyone. Unfortunately, surgeons go through more training than anyone, and still require IM guys to diagnose (bring patients to surgeons) and to manage the patient afterwards. IM guys hate having to make the diagnosis and do post-op management, but not be involved in the surgical curing of the disease.

Its just that the types of people who go into surgery are more into being THE MAN, and train longer to be THE MAN, which is why they particularly enjoy playa hatin on IM docs.

Just my .02 (Canadian currency)

 

[Winged Scapula]

Surgeons are the smartest doctors in the hospital... or at least, that is what they keep telling me.

I think doctors are too trained into being THE MAN and hate relying on others. The more training they have, the less they want to have to rely on anyone. Unfortunately, surgeons go through more training than anyone, and still require IM guys to diagnose (bring patients to surgeons) and to manage the patient afterwards. IM guys hate having to make the diagnosis and do post-op management, but not be involved in the surgical curing of the disease.

Its just that the types of people who go into surgery are more into being THE MAN, and train longer to be THE MAN, which is why they particularly enjoy playa hatin on IM docs.

Just my .02 (Canadian currency)

Hmmm...maybe its different where you're at...but I've never had an IM guy do post-op management on my patients. We manage the hypertension, hypothyroidism, diabetes, chronic arrythmias, pain, nutrition, etc. We do consult medicine specialists for problems in surgical patients better managed by those specialists (renal failure needing dialysis; pancytopenia, new onset arrythmias, etc.).

While an IM physician may "make the diagnosis", often I find they don't, don't want to or get a surgical consult to cover themselves (I cannot count the number of times I've gotten a late night consult on a patient with a KUB result of "ileus"). Why should they? They're not surgeons and aren't trained to make surgical diagnoses just as we aren't trained to do IM diagnoses.

Surgeons don't train any longer than any of the IM specialists with fellowship training, so I'm not sure that has to do with a desire to not rely on anyone else and their attitudes but rather the type of person who is often attracted to surgery. Many surgeons I know will openly admit that they are not the smartest physicians in the hospital but defer to the nephrologists, critical care intensivists and ID as the brightest.

 

[johnny_blaze]

I get really annoyed with the whole “not as smart as IM” stereotype of surgeons.
News flash: surgeons can be academic geniuses too! And many are.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a med student/doc that decided NOT to go into surgery because they were “too smart” for it or because “it didn’t challenge them enough”.

Stop playa hatin da cuttin’ crew

 

[Fantasy Sports]

Hmmm...maybe its different where you're at...but I've never had an IM guy do post-op management on my patients. We manage the hypertension, hypothyroidism, diabetes, chronic arrythmias, pain, nutrition, etc. We do consult medicine specialists for problems in surgical patients better managed by those specialists (renal failure needing dialysis; pancytopenia, new onset arrythmias, etc.).

While an IM physician may "make the diagnosis", often I find they don't, don't want to or get a surgical consult to cover themselves (I cannot count the number of times I've gotten a late night consult on a patient with a KUB result of "ileus"). Why should they? They're not surgeons and aren't trained to make surgical diagnoses just as we aren't trained to do IM diagnoses.

Surgeons don't train any longer than any of the IM specialists with fellowship training, so I'm not sure that has to do with a desire to not rely on anyone else and their attitudes but rather the type of person who is often attracted to surgery. Many surgeons I know will openly admit that they are not the smartest physicians in the hospital but defer to the nephrologists, critical care intensivists and ID as the brightest.

Well I guess things are different depending on where you are... for us surgeons are so busy doing surgery that they generally do little after (unless were talking ENT or ortho, who stick around longer).

Im yet to see a surgeon run a differential, and honestly, they shouldnt have to. They have better things to do than rule out illnesses. The one thing that Ive noticed all surgeons like is certainty. And certainty works out for them since whoever referred them for surgery (usually some medicine guy) ruled out everything else.

I would agree on nephrologists and ID guys being the smartest... I guess that is why House is double boarded in both of them

In any case, no doubt surgeons are smart. But the way that it is shown isnt as straightforward as clinching a diagnosis on a rare infection or syndrome. But ultimately, the system works out pretty well with the division between the med guys and the surgery guys.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Well I guess things are different depending on where you are... for us surgeons are so busy doing surgery that they generally do little after (unless were talking ENT or ortho, who stick around longer).

Interesting...as here some of the surgical subspecialties (Ortho being premiere amongst them) are the worst offenders when it comes to not managing medical issues post-op. Heck, some won't even manage some general surgical issues post-op (ie, post op ileus, pSBO, etc.).

As for not "running a differential" I would think that I'm doing that everytime I'm asked to see a patient in the ER with abdominal pain. Life might be a lot more fun if all I had to do was to operate, but making the diagnosis, including perhaps a long list of differentials when the diagnosis isn't clear, is part of a surgical practice.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I get really annoyed with the whole “not as smart as IM” stereotype of surgeons.
News flash: surgeons can be academic geniuses too! And many are.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a med student/doc that decided NOT to go into surgery because they were “too smart” for it or because “it didn’t challenge them enough”.

Stop playa hatin da cuttin’ crew

Unfortunately, its fairly pervasive, although the Ortho guys get the brunt of the lot.

There are bright physicians in every specialty and frankly, once someone specializes and loses some of his general medical knowledge, the belief is that they are somehow less bright.

Stereotypes are frustrating, but face it...I'm sure every speciality gets tired of hearing the same old ones over and over again (ie, Surgeons might not be as smart as IM physicians, but they're smarter than FP and Psychiatrists! 😉 )

 

[DrMom]

Interesting...as here some of the surgical subspecialties (Ortho being premiere amongst them) are the worst offenders when it comes to not managing medical issues post-op. Heck, some won't even manage some general surgical issues post-op (ie, post op ileus, pSBO, etc.).

sounds like ortho at my hospital...they won't even admit their own patients to the hospital--they have int med or general surgery do it for them 🙄

 

[fourthyearmed]

NEWSFLASH - All physicians have to work on the weekend sometimes. If you can't handle that, better find a new job.

 

[johnny_blaze]

Unfortunately, its fairly pervasive, although the Ortho guys get the brunt of the lot.

There are bright physicians in every specialty and frankly, once someone specializes and loses some of his general medical knowledge, the belief is that they are somehow less bright.

Stereotypes are frustrating, but face it...I'm sure every speciality gets tired of hearing the same old ones over and over again (ie, Surgeons might not be as smart as IM physicians, but they're smarter than FP and Psychiatrists! 😉 )

I know there’s nothing that can be done about stereotypes but I personally can’t understand how this whole “IM smarter than surgery” thing ever came about in the first place. Most of the surgeons I know are academic geniuses who are involved with loads of research (with the exception of ortho… I actually think that stereotype is true 😀 ) and there’s nothing I’ve seen IM physicians do that actually impresses me… except being able to write out loads of note and be immune hand cramps.

Anyway, the point is… surgeons are smart and cool, and if u don’t respect them… me and Kimberli are gonna kick yo’ butt!

 

[Blade28]

Surgery is for losers? If it's not for you, just say so. No need to disrespect an entire field. Who knows, you may need surgery one day.