Should I go for gen surg?
I’m a third year med student right now. After going through all of my rotations, I think I have truly enjoyed surgical and procedural work. My favorite rotations were Obgyn and Surgery. I love the workflow, and even though I was waking up at 5 AM to go to the hospital, I would look forward to my days. However, I’m burnt out at the end of third year and I’m concerned if I’ll be able to go through surgical residency. I don’t have the grades to go for something like ophthalmology. I’m trying to explore interventional radiology, which has not been bad, but I do miss taking ownership of the patient and having more interactions with them.
I know people say to go into surgery only if there is nothing else that you can see yourself doing. I think realistically I can be happy in a multitude of specialties, but Surgery brought a sense of fulfillment in my day today. I also want to gear my future practice towards being able to help out globally, and I think Surgery plays beautifully into that. I’m just scared in terms of residency, work hours, culture, and environment, and the possibility of starting a family at some point in the next few years.
Any advice or insight is appreciated.