Introduction
"I never dreamed of success, I worked for it"
The job description for surgeons varies depending on what environment they are practicing in. Many doctors find themselves in a multifaceted career that allows them to put their skills to good use in a combination of workplace settings. The hospital is the place many think a surgeon stays forever, however, even if they do have to to the best part of their job there, they still have other places to practice. A solo or combined practice is the key to getting many patients and is the likely choice of most surgeons. Following this paragraph will be some key things a surgeon knows and will give precise information on what a surgeon knows, does and goes through.
The Work
Surgeons go through a tremendous amount of work and years of school to get to where they want to be. Academics is the essential thing a doctor needs. They must remember everything they learned all through grades K-12, University, and Medical School. During this time is where a young adult will snap, late nights or maybe all night staying up for a paper due the next day and then going through the school day paying 100% attention! The first and most crucial question they all ask when going into Medicine School, what is medicine? What is medicine isn't why you have come to read this paragraph, I'm here to talk about surgery! It's pretty much what you see on tv ( with a few exceptions i.e. someone's heart dying on them with no notice of it ). Big room, table, lights, and some knives! Medical school is only the beginning for a surgeon. It takes five whole years in a hospital to learn what you are doing. At this point its weird, a person will want to stay up and watch a surgery, risking that it may take all night and they shall go with no sleep. You may say a doctor going with no sleep is not be a bright idea, and it is unprofessional; thus, a surgeon will not do this, but becoming a doctor means this will happen very often and is critical for learning new surgery or rare ones. “This will all pay off in the end’ is the only reason a person will go through this training.
Private Practice
Institutional Practice
Surgeons will most likely transition into a private practice along with being in the hospital. A private practice has its benefits and its detriments.
Benefits
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Centers around patient care.
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Allows freedom to decide the organization of the practice, as well as the hours, the hospitals in which the surgeon practices, and the type of patients that are attracted.
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Tends to encourage long-term relationships with patients. Thus, they will keep revisiting the hospital.
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Requires business management skills and professional relationships with others. ex. Lawyer, other Doctor.
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Indulges surgeons with an active and enthusiastic interest in patient care.
Detriments
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Can be very distracting with the significantly increased paperwork.
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Takes a lot of investment for maintenance and for the tools that are required.
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If on call, will take longer to get to the patient from the office than from the hospital.
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A private practice will not attract strong cases unlike a hospital will earn.​
An institutional practice is where a hospital will hire a surgeon. That surgeon will have an office in that hospital. This is usually salary based and they will not earn as much as if they were by themselves. This can combine patient care with clinical research. This option can be the only cure but may not work and cause death and or damage, however, surgeons will have access to this option hence they work in the hospital. The institutional practice gives the option of pursuing a clinical trial with the help of the hospital. Doing this will establish goals and should match the surgeon's career interests! Suits surgeons who want to be on the cutting edge of whatever is occurring in different clinical trials.
Bleeding, pain, and infection. When the first people started making tools and places to live, these 3 things were the scariest problems they had. Surgery started as a risky “art” into some kind of way to treat many people dying unexpectedly every year. When surgery first came in its effect, it was only made to treat injuries and traumas. Old Asian tribes used saltpeter ( Potassium Nitrate ) and suffer to cauterize wounds, however, the Indians had other ideas. If a wound was too big and needed to be closed, termites and scarabs would be placed on the wound to eat around the edges and then would be twisted, like a staple! The Aztecs had many injuries involving fractured and so they were the first humans to create the splint. The splint that they would use would be a rope, rocks and a piece of wood. The rocks would put on weight while the wood can keep the limb straight and the rope will keep everything in place!
Pre-OP
Post-OP
This moment is the scariest moment for a patient, Pre-Op. At this point, a patient will start to think of all the possible outcomes of their surgery. During this time, adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine get released from the body. When you arrive into the OR a chemical reaction will occur, following this, cortisol will be released. Now comes the mask. A surgical nurse or anesthesiologist will put a mask on your mouth and nose. They will ask you to count backward from 10. Anesthesia will be directed into your body. You will be out for a few hours, while a few people play with your organs. :)
Drugs, medication, oxygen and blood. The only things that are circulating in your veins after a long and hard Surgery, on the other hand, you could be dead. Hopefully, that's not the case, but it can always be the result. A patient knows the risks Pre-Op. Death, paralysis, permanent damage anywhere on the body. Mostly all the bad things in what a Surgeon will tell them. A patient will feel sleepy ( from the drugs and meds), may be noxious, but if all went well, they would feel relief.
Conclusion
This article is the most informative article out there. Everything here is from the best medical textbooks. How a patient feels, the history of surgery and the best way to run a private practice. Along with reading all this information. My father is an ENT surgeon here in New Brunswick and represents otolaryngology for Canada.
Thank you for reading.
