Sorry for this basic question, but having just finished my surgery clerkship i am still undecided as to whether surgery is for me...I was impressed with the surgeons but often felt bored in the OR - I think it was because I wasn't doing anything, but I was wondering if this happens to anyone else? How do you all know surgery is for you?
surgery?
- Thread starter eminem
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I would have to disagree with this statement. I have been bored numerous times in the OR. Who wouldn't get bored/frustrated holding a retractor, not being able to see what you were retracting, and feeling as if noone even knew you were there? It is the moments when I get to see and do that I get excited. These moments get me through the boring parts. Personally, I think you should be bored if you aren't doing anything because surgery is about doing something.
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There were several times when I was bored in the OR during my 3rd year clerkship. I remember one case that lasted about 9 hours, most of that time I was retracting and could not see what was going on in the operative field. I recall looking at anesthesia, sitting in a chair, reading, and thinking hmmmm....who has the better deal here?
However, the times I got to do stuff in the OR it was absolutely fantastic. Even stuff as simple as suctioning can make you an active participant (on vascular anastaomoses, believe it or not, suctioning is a very important part and requires a bit of finesse to do properly. And as I did my 4th year electives and was allowed to do more in the OR, it quickly became clear that there is nothing else I'd rather do. My back ache doesnt' matter when I'm an active participant in the case. And I've been allowed to DO a number of cases. Add to that the other procedures (lines, chest tubes, bronchoscopy) that I've been able to do and I'm totally hooked.
There IS more to being a surgeon than the OR. I'd say you have to like most of it. You have to learn surgical judgement, when to operate and probably more important, when NOT to. You have to take care of patients post op and any complications that develop. Also (at least at my institution) surgeons are probably called more than anyone else to clean up other people's messes. Surgery is about efficiency and getting things done, and as triathelete 411 said, surgeons tend to get bored when they aren't doing things. If you feel great pain, for example, during loooooooonnnnnnggg medicine rounds, you're probably a doer and something surgical is a good fit for your personality.
I'd say it's fairly normal to be bored in the OR under circumstances when you are retracting and can't see (ie when you aren't an active doer) However, if you were bored when you could clearly see the operative field and had some active role, then perhaps surgery isn't for you, or perhaps one of the subspecialties would float your boat. One way to find out is to do an elective early in the 4th year. That way you'll enjoy the privleges of being the senior student and likely would get to do more. I wouldn't cross it off your list just yet.
However, the times I got to do stuff in the OR it was absolutely fantastic. Even stuff as simple as suctioning can make you an active participant (on vascular anastaomoses, believe it or not, suctioning is a very important part and requires a bit of finesse to do properly. And as I did my 4th year electives and was allowed to do more in the OR, it quickly became clear that there is nothing else I'd rather do. My back ache doesnt' matter when I'm an active participant in the case. And I've been allowed to DO a number of cases. Add to that the other procedures (lines, chest tubes, bronchoscopy) that I've been able to do and I'm totally hooked.
There IS more to being a surgeon than the OR. I'd say you have to like most of it. You have to learn surgical judgement, when to operate and probably more important, when NOT to. You have to take care of patients post op and any complications that develop. Also (at least at my institution) surgeons are probably called more than anyone else to clean up other people's messes. Surgery is about efficiency and getting things done, and as triathelete 411 said, surgeons tend to get bored when they aren't doing things. If you feel great pain, for example, during loooooooonnnnnnggg medicine rounds, you're probably a doer and something surgical is a good fit for your personality.
I'd say it's fairly normal to be bored in the OR under circumstances when you are retracting and can't see (ie when you aren't an active doer) However, if you were bored when you could clearly see the operative field and had some active role, then perhaps surgery isn't for you, or perhaps one of the subspecialties would float your boat. One way to find out is to do an elective early in the 4th year. That way you'll enjoy the privleges of being the senior student and likely would get to do more. I wouldn't cross it off your list just yet.
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Hi eminem from Detroit- this is Foxxy Cleopatra, from the 70's. You've probably seen my work in the latest Austin Powers movie. I like your new song and think you'll fit right into the surgical community! 
I agree with the other posters- I wouldn't rule out surgery quite yet. As much as I enjoy it, I can't say that I find it exhilirating when I am the human retractor that hardly can see a single thing during an 8-hour case. Try to get some hands-on expereince during 4th year and see how you feel then. Talk to some current 4th years at your school going into surgery and see what electives they recommend. Often, when attendings and residents know you are interested during 4th year, you'll get a lot more hands-on time.
Good luck- surgery can be very exciting and is worth checking out!
I agree with the other posters- I wouldn't rule out surgery quite yet. As much as I enjoy it, I can't say that I find it exhilirating when I am the human retractor that hardly can see a single thing during an 8-hour case. Try to get some hands-on expereince during 4th year and see how you feel then. Talk to some current 4th years at your school going into surgery and see what electives they recommend. Often, when attendings and residents know you are interested during 4th year, you'll get a lot more hands-on time.
Good luck- surgery can be very exciting and is worth checking out!
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I scrubbed on 2 long whipples during my surgery electives. One one of them, I was post-call, had been up most of the night scrubbed in on a gsw, and then started the whipple at about 9AM. By about 1pm after 4 tortuous hours of retracting, and sucking, I was pretty much dead. I was bored sh*tless, and could barely keep my eyes open. It was actually my first whipple and I remember thinking that I should be really excited, except for I could barely keep my eyes open, and I had no freakin' clue what a whipple was. Every time I tried to tune in to what was going on, I would get mentally lost. I was thinking "aw f**k it, just shoot me". I would have given my left nut to be at home, showered, and tucked in to my king size Sealy posturpedic.
I think it's normal to be bored once in a while. Especially if your doing hours on end of retracting, and the attending doesn't speak to you. That's just the way it is sometimes. OTOH, if you are always bored, and try to avoid the OR, then I think that is more of a warning sign that maybe surgery isn't your thing.
Peace.
I think it's normal to be bored once in a while. Especially if your doing hours on end of retracting, and the attending doesn't speak to you. That's just the way it is sometimes. OTOH, if you are always bored, and try to avoid the OR, then I think that is more of a warning sign that maybe surgery isn't your thing.
Peace.
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I think I've been horifically bored and frustrated on every case I ever scrubbed where I wasn't actually doing the case. Basically, I have the attention span of a gnat. However, when I'm doing the case, it's very much like playing a video game (which I'm oddly natively talented at). I'm completely absorbed, fascinated, delighted, and nearly unreachable because I'm so intent on what I'm doing.
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As an M3 on the Surgery service I had to scrub on several OPEN gastric bypass procedures for morbid obesity. The attending was very slow and methodical. The "fast" ones took 5 hours. The slower ones could run 7 hours. The attending spoke to me once during each case. On my second round for the "fat pass", I had my friend page me after two hours to impersonate the clerkship coordinator. I was "needed" in an unscheduled lecture in ten minutes. While I felt badly about the dishonesty, I couldn't imagine standing through that brutally boring procedure (where I couldn't see anything).
Later, during that same rotation, one of the vascular attendings looked at me during a long AAA repair and said, "Max, there's nothing more boring than watching surgery. I just heard the trauma pager go off next door. Why don't you go take a look and see if anything interesting is going on over there?" I appreciated his ability to relate to me as a student.
As a fourth year on plastics (my chosen field), I loved going to the smaller "ditzel" cases because I did most of the case. That's where I realized that I loved surgery. How many people felt the calling for the knife when they excised a lipoma? Probably not many. ;-)
Later, during that same rotation, one of the vascular attendings looked at me during a long AAA repair and said, "Max, there's nothing more boring than watching surgery. I just heard the trauma pager go off next door. Why don't you go take a look and see if anything interesting is going on over there?" I appreciated his ability to relate to me as a student.
As a fourth year on plastics (my chosen field), I loved going to the smaller "ditzel" cases because I did most of the case. That's where I realized that I loved surgery. How many people felt the calling for the knife when they excised a lipoma? Probably not many. ;-)
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I felt the calling for the knife when I excised a lipoma.
Third year rotation...patient with multiple lipomas...attending walked me through one of them while the resident worked on the rest. My first time actually doing something in the OR.
Third year rotation...patient with multiple lipomas...attending walked me through one of them while the resident worked on the rest. My first time actually doing something in the OR.
