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Olivia
Student
Bristol, Rhode Island
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What is it like to be a surgeon?
I have wanted to become a surgeon since I was 6, how is it to save lives? DO you see new things everyday? #medicine #surgeon
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Richard A.
physician
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Richard’s Answer
DAILY LIFE FOR A SURGEON
Clinic: Evaluate patients prior to surgery. Explain the options including alternative to surgery. Follow up with patients after surgery looking for possible complications.
OR: Perform the surgery with a team including scrub techs, nurses and anesthesiologists.
Rounds: Evaluate patients who are admitted to the hospital before and after surgery.
ER: take calls from ER doctors who are consulting for possible surgical admission.
Clinic: Evaluate patients prior to surgery. Explain the options including alternative to surgery. Follow up with patients after surgery looking for possible complications.
OR: Perform the surgery with a team including scrub techs, nurses and anesthesiologists.
Rounds: Evaluate patients who are admitted to the hospital before and after surgery.
ER: take calls from ER doctors who are consulting for possible surgical admission.
WrittenBlade
3
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Updated
WrittenBlade’s Answer
I can't say personally what it's like but my dad is a surgeon so I have a family perspective.
First, the hours are long and you're spread all over the place. Depending on what kind of surgeon you are, you'll need to work at a hospital or surgery center for some of the big stuff. Patients meet the doctor in an office space normally, to determine if surgery is needed or if some other form of treatment is better. This looks and feels like any doctor's office you've been to. If you need to perform surgery, then you head to a hospital or surgery center.
Hospitals have full staff, big and expensive imaging devices, emergency care, all the major medical stuff. To work at a hospital, typically you need to agree to be on call. This means that on certain weekends or evenings, you'll need to have a phone near you and be ready and able (aka, nearby and sober) to visit patients. These are the doctors that you'll see on hand at night at the Emergency Room. This means as a doctor, there's a lot of time you'll be unavailable to hang out with friends or family. It's scheduled in advance, so you'll be able to make plans, but it can be hard for people outside your field to understand and work with you.
Surgery centers are not 24 hour operations, so I don't think there is an on call schedule. But they aren't fully equipped and staffed for major operations so it doesn't work for all surgeons. However, the reduced options mean reduced costs, so they are often great options for doctors and patients to save money. Many doctors work both in surgery centers as well as hospitals to get the bets of both worlds.
Second, there's a lot of continued education. You need to be certified to practice. Your college education is not certification, it's prep for it. Once certified, you need to renew. Renewing means you need to attend special classes or conferences that go over some of the latest advancements in your field. This keeps your skills up to date and relevant. Usually there's travel involved, which you can write off for taxes since these are required for your business. I remember going to Boston and Salt Lake City with my parents as a small kid, staying with a nanny while my parents attended a conference and seeing the city after it ended. It's not all work, but if you aren't up to the commitment, you'll lose your licence. There are of course other requirements for renewal but I didn't see or deal with them as a family member.
Last, there's a lot of background costs you might not realize that will influence your working life. Malpractice lawsuits are always a possibility, so you need insurance for that. Some of the equipment, like x-ray machines, are incredibly expensive. Plus, you'll need to have staff to handle billing, scheduling, and probably a medical assistant (MA). This is why medical costs are so high, individual doctor's offices are full blown businesses where multiple people are following their own career paths and it all orbits the doctors. If you're business savvy, or want freedom to make your own decisions and don't mind the extra time and costs, you have a private practice for your office. You'll likely still need access to hospital space for surgeries, so you'll likely still have an on call schedule. These days however, the costs of running the business side of doctors' offices are so high and time consuming that doctors will often join group practices. This allows for shared resources and support personnel.
It's a lot to think about. If you love the idea of practicing medicine, there's LOTS of options. From nursing, to elderly care, family doctors, surgeons, physical therapists, and emergency responders - no matter where your talents lie, there's an option. Shoot for the option that you are not only interested in, but have aptitude for. A surgeon that barfs at the sight of blood or a nurse with no empathy are going to have short careers. Pick the one you want to be the best at, and go for it. :)
First, the hours are long and you're spread all over the place. Depending on what kind of surgeon you are, you'll need to work at a hospital or surgery center for some of the big stuff. Patients meet the doctor in an office space normally, to determine if surgery is needed or if some other form of treatment is better. This looks and feels like any doctor's office you've been to. If you need to perform surgery, then you head to a hospital or surgery center.
Hospitals have full staff, big and expensive imaging devices, emergency care, all the major medical stuff. To work at a hospital, typically you need to agree to be on call. This means that on certain weekends or evenings, you'll need to have a phone near you and be ready and able (aka, nearby and sober) to visit patients. These are the doctors that you'll see on hand at night at the Emergency Room. This means as a doctor, there's a lot of time you'll be unavailable to hang out with friends or family. It's scheduled in advance, so you'll be able to make plans, but it can be hard for people outside your field to understand and work with you.
Surgery centers are not 24 hour operations, so I don't think there is an on call schedule. But they aren't fully equipped and staffed for major operations so it doesn't work for all surgeons. However, the reduced options mean reduced costs, so they are often great options for doctors and patients to save money. Many doctors work both in surgery centers as well as hospitals to get the bets of both worlds.
Second, there's a lot of continued education. You need to be certified to practice. Your college education is not certification, it's prep for it. Once certified, you need to renew. Renewing means you need to attend special classes or conferences that go over some of the latest advancements in your field. This keeps your skills up to date and relevant. Usually there's travel involved, which you can write off for taxes since these are required for your business. I remember going to Boston and Salt Lake City with my parents as a small kid, staying with a nanny while my parents attended a conference and seeing the city after it ended. It's not all work, but if you aren't up to the commitment, you'll lose your licence. There are of course other requirements for renewal but I didn't see or deal with them as a family member.
Last, there's a lot of background costs you might not realize that will influence your working life. Malpractice lawsuits are always a possibility, so you need insurance for that. Some of the equipment, like x-ray machines, are incredibly expensive. Plus, you'll need to have staff to handle billing, scheduling, and probably a medical assistant (MA). This is why medical costs are so high, individual doctor's offices are full blown businesses where multiple people are following their own career paths and it all orbits the doctors. If you're business savvy, or want freedom to make your own decisions and don't mind the extra time and costs, you have a private practice for your office. You'll likely still need access to hospital space for surgeries, so you'll likely still have an on call schedule. These days however, the costs of running the business side of doctors' offices are so high and time consuming that doctors will often join group practices. This allows for shared resources and support personnel.
It's a lot to think about. If you love the idea of practicing medicine, there's LOTS of options. From nursing, to elderly care, family doctors, surgeons, physical therapists, and emergency responders - no matter where your talents lie, there's an option. Shoot for the option that you are not only interested in, but have aptitude for. A surgeon that barfs at the sight of blood or a nurse with no empathy are going to have short careers. Pick the one you want to be the best at, and go for it. :)