First I’d like to give a shout out, if you will, to this website and its creator(s). A fascinating concept and an equally fascinating read. No doubt.

Next, I’d like to state in clear and unfortunate terms that I am a recent medical school graduate. I state that so you’ll take me seriously, as I plan to offer several insights about the profession in the coming paragraphs. I’ll also state that I’m not a D.O. or an international medical graduate, thus increasing my status, if you will, even more in your minds. Really though, no offense to my osteopathic colleagues and immigrant/temporary emigrant physicians/physicians-in-training.

I’d like to start out in existential mode, if you’ll allow me. *Squints eyes and rubs chin*. Why would anyone in their right mind choose to apply to, or for that matter, attend medical school? Ah! You’re taking on the pensive pose too now, aren’t you?

Brief and simple answers first come to mind. Money. Status. Ego. Race. Ethnicity. Those were too easy to come up with. I’ll expound on those very shortly, but let’s brainstorm, as my KG teacher used to say, and think of a few more. Ah yes, it’s coming to me now. Retardedness. Delusion. Lack of common sense. Boredom. My parents told me to. My parents did not tell me to, but I know they would have if I didn’t. I pretend like my family did not influence my decisions, but in reality (and don’t tell anyone), I’m a complete slave and bitch and indeed they are the reason why I am an aspiring physician.

Okay good, now we’re getting somewhere. We’ve laid the groundwork to incredibly profound thoughts which are yet to come.

I have to go eat dinner now, so as they did in 1980s sit-coms, I’ll make this a to-be-continued. Rest assured that I will be back for several follow-up visits (no put intended.. medical and medical-related jargon is not my cup of tea and frankly bores the shit out of me). Let me rephrase.. I will be with you in my usual brilliant form in the coming days. And to those of you starting to get pissy, I say pipe down, take a step back, and re-evaluate your existence. What do you really have? A kick-ass histology text? Superior ABG obtaining technique? A stethoscope with a hip pediatric chest piece? Sweet pics from your “white coat ceremony” which you subsequently uploaded on Friendster? Wait, did the AMA hook it up with a free Netter’s? Man that is lame. I suggest you take a seat and listen to what I have to say…

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After taking a look at this thread, it really got me thinking again about why anyone would even consider a career in surgery.

I carried protein bars etc in my pockets and it came in handy. Surgery rotations were tough - I had to do 3 months, one of them over December. I had one day off - Christmas day - they paged me but I did not answer the page.

Carrying protein bars because you really don’t have time to eat and then getting paged on your only single day off — Christmas day, no less. What the fuck are people who want a lifetime of this really thinking?

I used to do my wash in shifts because I was too tired to stay up and put it in the dryer. It means having lots of easy to prepare food at home and never trying to run out of essentials: soap, TP, etc. because who wants to run out to the store when they get home after a really long day?

A career that doesn’t even allow you to complete basic day-to-day tasks such as washing clothes? I’ll pass, but thanks, anyway. Cutting on people can’t possibly be that good.

G-surg IS that bad at MANY places. I would know. Today is day 15. I broke 200 hours today. I’ve been in the hospital for no less than 10 hours of every day but one of the past 15. I got meal tickets on November 1st to cover breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the entire month of November. I should have used 31 of them. I’ve only used 20, and my team has ordered delivery for one of those missed meals. The day of my first short call I went from lunch to lunch the following day without eating anything because I was in the OR when the cafeteria closed for the night and I was back in the OR the next AM before it opened for the day. I usually get to pee, but only because there are bathrooms everywhere in this hospital.

Maybe this guy gets it. I sure as hell hope so since there are way too many idiots who seem to think surgery is God’s gift to medicine.

I get up at 4 every morning. Every fourth night I am required to work until 11, which really means working until 11, wrapping up the last few things and getting out at 11:30. Alternately it means getting pulled into the OR at 10:45 and being there until the case is finished. You are still expected back, on the floor, at 5 AM the next day no matter how late the case goes. If your fourth night falls on Friday or Saturday you stay until the following morning (usually around 10 AM). If it’s Sunday, you come in from 6 AM (yay, an extra hour of sleep!) until 11 PM.

Yep, I think he sees the light. One down, many more to go…

So Really, What’s So Great?

Finish up reading the thread and you’ll see pretty much the same — people complaining about their chosen field. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist (or even a neurosurgeon) to know what the hell you’re getting yourself into before matching into surgery.

I feel little sympathy for these guys. They rotated through surgery as a junior medical student and probably even did a Sub-I in surgery during their senior year. If that’s not enough to convince them that the lifestyle sucks, then maybe they’ll realize it when they burn out 5 years down the road and switch into Pathology.

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