I still mourn the lost family time, the lost relationships, the restlessness, the relentlessness and the endless calls.
It’s an arduous road. #surgery #surgeon #ENTsurgery #ENTsecrets Picture taken about 13 years ago with my son in my baby carrier while I was studying for my exams.
I’m on call about 20-30% of my life. I do 12 hour routine days. I do 2am calls, 4am surgeries, 7am meetings. I still mourn the lost family time because of the gruelling work. It’s doable. It’s achievable. But don’t glorify or romanticise it.
You gotta top your high school, top your pre-med, top your med school, do well in internship, travel around the state for jobs, get selected into a competitive surgical program, research, on calls, courses, exams, extra degrees, train, train, train like your life depends on it.
So you want to be a surgeon? Those 5 extra years will turn into the most gruelling 17 years of training in a blink of an eye. Don’t romanticise surgery. It’s costly physically, mentally, emotionally, cognitively, socially and relationally.