How to Be a Surgeon

Truman | future surgeon

Temperament

To be a surgeon you have to have the right temperament. One of these is the amount of pressure you can handle. Sometimes this has to be for hours straight. Not only are you always under pressure, you have to be consistent with your mind. You have to be able to work with people for hours straight. You must love and know anatomy because you have to know where things are and what they do. You cannot be squeamish!

Education Steps

First of all, you must have a college degree. A pre-medical science degree or other science degree is required. It generally takes four years to get one. Next, you need to go to medical school for another four years. It is not easy to get into medical school. You would need really good grades in college to get into medical school.

After all of this education, you need to work as a resident in a hospital's surgery department. This usually takes three years. So it takes a really long time to actually become a surgeon.

Discussions with Real Surgeons

My grandfather has had several surgeries recently, and I had my tonsils removed when I was younger. I got information from surgeons who had done these operations.

Why be a surgeon?

The surgeons said they like helping people. One surgeon said he likes being a surgeon because most surgical problems can be removed, and the patient can be cured. This is different from other patients who have something like diabetes, where you might treat for years, but they are rarely cured. One doctor said he was influenced to be a surgeon because his father was a surgeon.

What do the surgeons say is hard about being a surgeon?

It is very time consuming. It is very grueling work. Surgeries can take a long time, and the work hours required may be long. Emergencies are also a big part of surgical practice. My Grandfather had a surgery at 2 o'clock in the morning and one on a Sunday evening at 8 p.m. His doctor said it is hard because he often cannot see his family.

Were there any surprises?

Each and every person is a little bit unique. Nothing is ever the exact same, no matter what. He sees each patient has the exact same thing, but it is still different. He has to make sure to pay attention to the differences.

It is exciting to be a surgeon.