Again, I'm not trying to be negative. I know this is the allopathic forum, and I'm not sure this is where a question like this is best answered, if it can be answered at all. I don't know how difficult prostatectomies, parotidectomies, tonsillectomies, total joints or neurosurgical aneurysmal clippings are because I've never done them, and I don't know that there are any people left that have done them all. I was merely commenting that I find it funny how students are saying how difficult something is when they have never done anything other than just watch.
Let me elaborate. If you asked me what car performs the best, I couldn't give you an informed answer despite the fact that I own a sedan and an SUV and race a Porsche GT3. Of the three, I could tell you which performed the best for me, but my wife would give you an entirely different answer. However, I am in no position to evaluate a Ferrari (even though I have sat in the passenger seat for a few laps around the track), the new BMW M3 (even though I've driven the previous model) or a Yugo (something I've never driven or ridden in).
The difficulty of performing surgical procedures is kind of the same. There is no procedure that can only be done by a select few people because the technical difficulty requires such great hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, etc..., that it would be dangerous for others to perform it; all procedures are merely a matter of knowing the steps of the procedure and repetitive practice. An inguinal hernia repair is a very difficult case when you are taking a med student or intern through it for the first time, but keep hypothesizing...
