What does it take?

[brambles]

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I get the impression that doing surgery requires one to be physically fit, as it is physically demanding in both the type of work and hours put in. To what extent is this true? I love the idea of doing a surgical specialty, but I do not have the sturdiest of bodies (I am fit in terms of weight with no major health problems, but I get fatigued easily and sometimes get joint pain/cramps). I would love to hear people's stories/experiences on this matter.

Another concern of mine is the visual nature of doing surgery. If you have visual anomalies such as floaters/flashers (or even visual snow/palinopsia for those who know what these conditions are), how feasible is it to become a surgeon? Or if you have very high myopia, do you find difficult using microscopes or tiring looking into them for extended periods of time? Or is this something you get used to, and maybe very dependent on the type and severity of one's eye condition? Of course, this is excluding serious eye diseases. I have no problems looking at a monitor or screen, but using microscopes for extended periods of time is something a bit worrisome. I would love to hear people's experiences on this matter as well.

There is also to consider the variability between surgical specialties. Perhaps some demand more physically/visually, and others not nearly as much?

Thanks!

 

[Winged Scapula]

While surgery does tend to draw more athletic types (especially Ortho - some stereotypes are true 😆 ), you needn't be an Olympic specimen to be successful as a surgeon. There are plenty of surgery residents and surgeons who would meet the qualifications as obese and unfit.

However, you do need to be able to stand for extended periods of time in almost all cases, at least as a student and resident (when you're the attending, if you want to sit during a case and its feasible, you can). I'm not sure what you mean when you say you tire easily; does that mean that you cannot physically stand after a certain period of time (because that becomes a problem in nearly all specialities, especially those medical ones with those long rounds)? Everyone gets myalgias/arthralgias after lengthy cases and there are techniques to help improve/reduce those (I find yoga helps). The more physically demanding specialties may be those with longer cases (i.e., surg onc, transplant) but you body can be trained to handle those in most situations.

The visual issue really depends on the extent of visual disability you have. Bear in mind that very few surgical specialties use the microscope on a routine basis; it is almost never used in general surgery and Ortho (except perhaps for some Hand cases). It is mostly used in PRS and ENT, microvascular work. As long as your vision is correctable with lenses, there shouldn't be a problem but this will need to be assessed as you go through your training.

As a Pre-Med I will tell you that your interests will almost assuredly change as you advance in training, and you may find that your concerns are irrelevant.

On a final note, moving to the Pre-Allo forum. The specialty forums are for questions which pertain to topics of interest to surgeons and surgery residents. Those that wish to answer your questions can follow the topic there.

 

[seahawks2013]

GTL everyday OP