If you ever wanted to be a surgeon. Why?

Answer:
I considered becoming a surgeon, but got smart and went into anesthesia instead.

Why become a surgeon? There's less BS than in internal medicine. You find a problem and you fix it. Plus, you get to cut and sew, and those things are fun.

Why NOT become one? Still too much BS. There's a lot of post-operative messing about, pre-operative messing about, finding ways to transfer problem patients off of your service, chasing down lab work and xrays. and the training takes forever.

I still get to play in the OR every day, and I get to stick large needles in people on a regular basis, but don't have to deal with nearly as much garbage. (If lab work isn't available, I can throw it back into the surgeon's lap!) And, when the cases are done for the day, I get to go home and see my family instead of making rounds.

If you're not past your third year of medical school, it's not a decision that you need to make any time soon. You have to spend three months in surgical rotations before you know if you love it or hate it (there really isn't much middle ground).

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