<p>I love this forum because I know I can find answers here, so I have a few questions. Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking, and I <em>think</em> I've finally thought about what kind of doctor I want to be. I've loved the time I've spent shadowing in the OR, and when thinking about becoming a general pediatrician, my heart panged at the thought that I would not be able to be there more often. It's not that I like seeing people sick, but rather knowing that you can DO something to help them. I know that I want to work with children, I'm detail oriented, I'm a good leader...etc - list personality traits that would be suitable for a surgeon-. However, I'm a bit confused.</p>
<p>Just for reference, I'm a rising college sophomore, 3.54 GPA, psychobiology major.</p>
<p>a) I know there's some confusion if plastics is a seperate residency vs. fellowship after gen. surgery. Maybe you can do it either way? Does anybody have experience here and could inform me on how long I would be looking at? I know there's 4 years of medical school, but I don't know about after that...</p>
<p>b) Do you think that dexterity, as far as surgical dexterity, is something that you're born with (either you have the skills now, or you never will), or can you work on it if becoming a surgeon is something you're serious about? I know that this sounds like a dumb, typical cc'er type question... but I have never thought that I could do this surgeon thing, until I thought about it, and realized that it's something I'd LOVE to do.</p>
<p>Yes, I know it's a LOT of school (not sure how much, that's why I ask), yes I know that I might have to do a few cosmetic surgeries to pay the bills, but I think that this could make me really happy.</p>
<p>(1) There definitely exists a plastics residency. Presumably some fellowships still exist as well. Either way would probably take you about nine post-med-school years.</p>
<p>(2) Both. Natural talent makes it easier, but most people can alternatively train until they get up to the right point.</p>
<p>Some of my classmates who are interested in surgery have expressed similar thoughts.</p>
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<p>If you’re working with children, you’re also working with their parents - can you handle that? As for being detail-oriented and a good leader, that describes just about everyone in medical school. Those qualities have little to do with the suitability of surgery as a career choice for you.</p>
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<p>What do you mean, you know there’s some confusion? Do you mean that you are confused? Plastics has [their</a> own residency](<a href=“http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_plasticsurgery.htm]their”>http://www.aamc.org/students/cim/pub_plasticsurgery.htm). To become a plastic surgeon, you will need to spend 5 years in residency after 4 years of medical school. Should you wish to subspecialize in pediatric plastic surgery, that will be at least one more year of fellowship after you complete residency.</p>
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<p>No one is born knowing how to suture. It’s pretty much all acquired skill.</p>
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<p>If you’re a pediatric plastic surgeon, who are you going to perform cosmetic surgeries on? Kids don’t need nose jobs.</p>
<p>Shades: Almost all of the plastics programs I know require two research years. More to the point, peds plastics would (IIRC) require two more years as well. Hence my estimate of nine.</p>
<p>shades - Not neccessarily nose jobs, but that some surgeries are on that border line of aesthetics or actual medical neccesity. My point was, I understand that I might not be able to JUST DO cleft palettes/other physical deformities. And I meant that both, I was confused as far as the residency was concerned, and on a thread I read prior to posting my own, there seemed to be confusion amongst cc members as well. I also realize I need to work with their parents as well, and I think that I can do that. I plan on spending more time being a camp counselor, or something along those lines, that will help me both in the child care area, working with children, as well as working with concerned parents. I know it’s a lot different than a surgery/hospital setting, but I figure it’s still something.</p>
<p>BDM - Thanks for the input as well! Both of your responses helped shed some light… of course I still have three more years of undergrad before applying to med. school even, so my career choice still has a long way to go.</p>
<p>I also ceased to mention the fact that I love physical results. Lame example, I love cleaning a room because afterwards you not only KNOW you did something, but you can tell, it looks BETTER. I think it’s this type of physical action in surgery that makes it so appealing to me.</p>
<p>Realize that there are plenty of other options that involve surgery and pediatrics…peds ortho, peds surg, peds CT surg, peds ENT, peds urology, peds optho, etc.</p>
<p>There are also peds specialties that are procedure oriented to varying degrees - cardiology, critical care, GI, pulm. </p>
<p>Realize that you have lots of options and it doesn’t make sense to start narrowing options now.</p>
<p>Also, adcoms seem to not mind you having interests so long as you don’t tell them you are absolutely sure that you know that’s what you want to do. They will then ask why, and no pre-med can truly justify an answer to that unless they were doing kidney transfers in Africa or something. You just don’t KNOW if what seems to fit will fit when you start doing it, which doesn’t mean that it won’t though. You definitely have cited some common reasons surgeons go into medicine for though.</p>
<p>I’ll share one more fact of life about sub specialties working with kids. It takes FOREVER to actually get to the kid part. So you should be pretty happy working with adults as well. Also, these won’t be WELL kids, and seeing them suffer is a be-otch.</p>
<p>BRM - You gave some GREAT suggestions that I didn’t think about before! And so did mmmcdowe, and shrinkrap. Definitely gives me something to think about. So I think now I’m realizing maybe I shouldn’t limit myself mentally just yet. But that my reasoning for thinking that this would be a good career is logically sound, which is a good thing for starters… I actually had a point in time where I wanted to do neonatal work, specifically NICU, but I don’t even know how I’d get to that point… </p>
<p>So I guess I should take a chill pill and just get ready for my soph. year of pre-med studies… organic chemistry, here I come.</p>
<p>I would like to add that nose jobs are prevalent in pediatrics. My 14 year old sister had a rhinoplasty in order to stop bullying. It may not be very common, but it is in full effect and preformed daily.</p>