- Joined
- Oct 7, 2020
- Messages
- 56
- Reaction score
- 16
Hello,
As the title suggests, I’m a non-trad very interested in becoming a surgeon, but I’m worried about my age. I’ve been accepted to a top 10 MD school, have no debt or SO/kids, and I’ll work hard to become a competitive surgical applicant, but I won’t be starting until next year when I’m 30, which is worrying.
I’ll be 34 when I finish if I don’t take a research year, so I’m wondering:
1. Will PDs find someone in their mid-thirties risky to take on, even if I do well on boards, have good recs, research, etc?
2. When do you think surgical skills start deteriorating, especially now that things are moving more towards MIS/laparoscopic/endovascular, etc? If I hypothetically finish residency at 40/41 and have 25 years of being a technically sound/safe surgeon I think it’s worth it. But if it’s only going to be 10 years or so before my skills start to go, then I’m a lot more hesitant.
3. Can anyone weigh in on their experience doing residency at that age? I know it owns your life for 5-7 years, and is taxing, but I’m pretty active/healthy, used to unpredictable schedules, and working a lot with little sleep. I’m hoping that will help, but still I know few things can prepare me for the brutality that is surgical training and part of me is worried about my stamina taking a nose-dive in the next few years; so would appreciate anyone’s input who did it.
Thanks for the help!
As the title suggests, I’m a non-trad very interested in becoming a surgeon, but I’m worried about my age. I’ve been accepted to a top 10 MD school, have no debt or SO/kids, and I’ll work hard to become a competitive surgical applicant, but I won’t be starting until next year when I’m 30, which is worrying.
I’ll be 34 when I finish if I don’t take a research year, so I’m wondering:
1. Will PDs find someone in their mid-thirties risky to take on, even if I do well on boards, have good recs, research, etc?
2. When do you think surgical skills start deteriorating, especially now that things are moving more towards MIS/laparoscopic/endovascular, etc? If I hypothetically finish residency at 40/41 and have 25 years of being a technically sound/safe surgeon I think it’s worth it. But if it’s only going to be 10 years or so before my skills start to go, then I’m a lot more hesitant.
3. Can anyone weigh in on their experience doing residency at that age? I know it owns your life for 5-7 years, and is taxing, but I’m pretty active/healthy, used to unpredictable schedules, and working a lot with little sleep. I’m hoping that will help, but still I know few things can prepare me for the brutality that is surgical training and part of me is worried about my stamina taking a nose-dive in the next few years; so would appreciate anyone’s input who did it.
Thanks for the help!