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June 1, 2004
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A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN
RI
Why don't you ask the people who support your interest in
medicine
but not surgery? In the bad old days when surgeons had to
be strong
enough to saw off legs quickly without anesthesia, physical
strength
was far more of an issue than it is now - and the delicate
sewing
tasks on teeny blood vessels, for example, seem to cry out
for a
woman's touch (if you want to classify work as more suitable
for
either gender.) Surgeons are leaders of the operating team,
but
that's not a reason to discourage women.
Given that the dynamics between husbands and wives still tend
to
leave the bulk of child care and housework to wives, medical
specialties that give the doctor some control over her work
hours can
be more family-friendly. Elective surgeries might allow flexible
scheduling, I would guess. Surely we'll hear from mentor MD's
on
this topic!
A: FROM MENTOR KRISTIN TAGHON
IN IL
Sharon,
How wonderful that you are interested in being a surgeon!
Keep exploring the
idea. Keep investigating. Talk to a surgeon and keep asking
as you are asking
here.
I think that a medical doctor might have more interaction
with their patients,
than does a surgeon. Perhaps that is why your supporting people
are thinking
you'd be better as a medical doctor (I assume an internist,
or family
practitioner or gyne is what you mean by medical doctor).
Perhaps they think
you would be wonderful with patients and have a wonderful
"bedside manner".
But, you may be able to combine the two as my doctor has.
I have a doctor who is both a medical doctor and a surgeon.
He treats women as
a gynecologist and performs surgery when it's necessary. This
doctor is VERY
excited about both aspects of his job. This may be very common
for
gynecologists - that they are both a medical doctor or practitioner
as well as a
surgeon.
My doctor lets me talk as long as I need and ask as many questions
as I need
to. When he sees me in the halls, he remembers me and asks
specific questions.
He has told me he LOVES surgery. He LOVES trying to do what
is best for the
patients and developing new ways of making that happen. He
developed an
instrument that he uses instead of laser. He said his instrument
uses heat
rather than laser, and therefore causes less damage. He firmly
believes that
doctors need to spend time with their patients. He has told
me this and he is
starting his own practice because he is tired of the push
for treating more
patients, rather than quality care and less volume at the
current group
practice.
Most surgeons are probably more specialized and aren't there
to get to know the
patients. Typically, they are referred to you by a doctor.
They meet with you
before the surgery and talk about what they will do. THey
will meet with you
right before you go under anesthesia and then they meet with
you afterward to
say everything went well. Then, there is the followup appt
to discuss how the
surgery went and to check your incision. Surgeons are specialized
because it's
so critical to be good at what they do!
You should determine what your interests are and what you
are good at. And find
out what kind of surgery you might be interested in. Maybe
you can make it what
YOU want it to be.
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A: FROM MENTOR SUZAN SONGS
IN IL
That's FABULOUS that you want to be a surgeon! If it's fascinating,
definitely
follow your heart :) That's great that you have support as
an internist -
people may question your pursuit into surgery bc of the lifestyle
and training -
it's not the best in terms of personal time, and it is still
a bit of an "old
boy's network", but there are more and more women going
into surgery. For too
long women have been following (consciously or not) others'
wants. We do what
others think we should do, or think we'll be good at. But
ultimately, you
should follow what YOU want. Otherwise you'll forever be in
a rut, searching
for approval from others.
It's great that you know what JOB you want. But maybe think
about what
QUALITIES of the job you like - it can open your options much
more. YOu don't
need to do anything in particular now or in college. Once
you're in medical
school, you'll have the option to do whatever you want. I
was pretty hard core
about doing plastic/trauma (burn) surgery internationally
when I entered
medical school. Soon it turned into Intensive/Critical Care.
And then I
switched toward the end to psychiatry, all for various reasons.
One was that I
realized that OTHERS had wanted me to do something OTHER than
psychiatry. I
knew I always liked it, but kind of suppressed it since I
didn't think it
was "difficult/hard" enough. Boy was I wrong.
So. YOu want to be a surgeon. First really think, and make
a list of WHY you
want to be a surgeon. Do you like to cut? To heal people in
an instant? Do you
like the fame and prestige that comes with? Be honest with
yourself - the list
is only for you. Then do well in school. Forever :) Medical
school is tough to
get into, I'm not going to downplay that. It's definitely
not for everyone -
even the most brilliant people would make horrible doctors.
So it's important
to figure out what attracts you to the field. So do well in
high school.
Challenge yourself academically, and socially. Put yourself
in situations you
may not be comfortable with and learn how to cope well. That's
what will make
you a successful doctor in the long run. In college, study
whatever you'd like
(doesn't have to be science), but you do need to do very well
in your pre-
medical science classes. You have a LONG time to think about
your career. But
if you're interested - call up a hospital or surgeon and ask
if you can
volunteer. It's a good way to get exposed.
Lots may ask.... Schooling for a doctor goes like this: High
school. Then
college for 4 years. Then some take time off - which I really
recommend - not
only to mature, but also to take a break before going through
the strangest
years you're probably going to ever go through. Then you go
to medical school
which is 4 years (you decide your specialty - like surgery
- after your 3rd
year). Then you have residency afterwards (the 1st year of
residency is called
your "intern" year). Residency length depends on
the specialty, but is
typically 3-5 years. And then most people who go into academics
will do a
fellowship (getting even more specialized, for example, not
only surgery, but
vascular surgery or neurosurgery). And the years for that
will vary. Some are
only 1 year, some are 3 years. And then finally you're at
the "attending"
status and you can have your own practice if you want, etc.
It's a lot of
school. A LOT. it's a lot of debt also. But it's also extremely
rewarding and
such an unbelievable life. You help others by sharing your
knowledge. So to be
good, you have to know a lot. But you also have to relate
well with people.
I'll end with saying that I'm TOTALLY excited that you want
to do surgery! It's
SO MUCH FUN - it's great to be able to actually "fix"
something. Think about a
woman who comes in with tons of stomach pain every few months
- she's now
depressed and can't function well. Then you take out her gallbladder
(the
source of the pain). It's a simple procedure - back at home
the same day. She's
now fixed! She feels much better - pain free, and her life
is back to normal if
not better. Almost instantly! Not only that, but the procedures
are getting
more complicated, therefore awesome! You take out a gallbladder
using a camera!
Who would have thought :) I hope to hear from you again in
30 or 40 years -
maybe you'll be a famous surgeon who developed her own surgical
techniques :)
Take care, and definitely feel free to contact me whenever.
You will make a
great surgeon if you find it fascinating!
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A: FROM MENTOR KHANH VU IN TX
I'm not a surgeon, but I am an internist. For any medical
speciality you will need to complete specific requirements
for medical school (if you're really set on becoming a physician
, you can log onto the Google search-engine and type in "prerequisites
for medical school" to get a better idea). So while you're
in high school, I would recommend that you take advance courses
that may help you prepare you for college and MCAT, especially
science (biology, chemistry, physics) and math (you're need
calculus as a prerequisite for med school). I can't stress
this enough: try to truly learn and understand the material
in your classes instead of just memorizing stuff to pass your
tests. Also, I wish I had taken Spanish instead of Latin in
high school and college (during my med school, residency,
and even now, I've cared for many Spanish- speaking only patients
and wished that I could communicate better instead of always
n! eeding the assistance of a Spanish translator).
So, if your goal is to become a surgeon, this is probably
what you can expect for the future:
-4 years of college (or however long it takes you to complete
the prerequisites for your degree and med school): it doesn't
matter what you major in as long as you complete and do relatively
well in those med school prerequisites; around 3rd yr of college,
you will need to take the MCAT
-4 years of medical school: during this time, aside from taking
the usual exams, you will also be taking Steps 1 & 2 (board
exams); around the end of 3rd and beginning of 4th yr (after
finishing clinical rotations), you will need to apply for
residency- in your case, this would be a general surgery residency
(also keep in mind that there are other surgical residencies
for which you can apply e.g., orthopedics, plastics, ENT,
urology, and ophthamology); residencies differ in length of
training- for internal medicine, I had to complete a 3 yr
residency
-5 years of general surgery residency; some programs may ask
you to do 1-2 yrs of research; if you you want to subspecialize
in surgery, you can then apply for a fellowship (the # of
years is dependent on the type of fellowship)
During medical school and residency, you can expect long,
often-times stress hours and sleepless nights (though this
has changed and improved with the recent new residency guidelines),
which can be rather grueling and exhausting . Your friends
and family are probably concerned about the long hours and
demands on your life, eg interference with having a family
etc. It definitely will be challenging and demanding, but
for me - I think it was worth it. Best wishes.
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