Surgery Rotation Expereince​

This rotation was one of the toughest, but it ended up being my most favorite and memorable rotation. It was tough because of the hours, the chief residents yelling at you and the amount expected of you. It can break you or it can make you stronger. Depending on your attitude towards it, it can really affect your rotation experience.

I never considered surgery. It is not a lifestyle I care for and nor is it something I am passionate about. However, I LOVED the surgeries. I was fascinated and I think I could have been a good surgeon. I can’t say great because I think you need love for what you do to be great at it. You can disagree with this statement and be correct. Let me give you a breakdown of a typical day then go into some stories.

Depending on what week you are in, you will get scheduled 9 weeks of Floors, 1 week of SICU (surgery intensive care unit), 2 weeks of Surgery Clinic week, one day of anesthesia (you can get more days if you are interested in anesthesia). Our days began at 5 AM and ended at 7:30 PM. We had M&Ms (Morbidity and Mortality conference) on Mondays 7 – 830 AM. Every Thursday we had 1-4 PM clinic that all the students on the floors went to. We had lectures Tuesdays – Thursdays from 4 PM – 7:30 PM, but often it ended later, even up to 9:30/10 PM.

Everyone had 10-13 CALL NIGHTS. Call nights started 3 PM until 7 AM the next day. On Weekends, day calls started from 8 AM to 5 PM and night calls start at 5 PM and ended at 8 AM the next day.

Story time

I got yelled at a few times during morning rounds by the Chiefs. One was a full out lecture on how I need to improve. It was, of course, harsh. I went with the mindset that it was going to be tough rotation and I would get called out for my mistakes and that I wouldn’t take it to heart. Instead of taking it to heart, I would learn from it and just do better next time. SO, here is the full story: One morning during the presentation, the chief residents had switched (we got new ones). This one was extra loud and yelled. A few people presented before me. The one right before me got yelled at and told she did a horrible job and picked on EVERYTHING she said from the start to finish. Then, OF COURSE, it was my turn! I tried to keep calm. I started and I thought I was doing decently until I presented the physical exam. There was an older PA (physicans assistant) as well rounding with us, and she started to make comments on things that I hadn’t gotten to yet. So, I said, yes I am getting to it. Then it all began. I got criticized for EVERYTHING and initially, I started to defend myself then I just tried my best to stay quiet. It was hard to stay quiet, but it felt that if I were to say anything it would be perceived as disrespect. And for the most part, the chief resident pointed important things that I needed to do better on. It was just frustrating when they didn’t give you the chance to say some of the things you were planning on saying but hadn’t because they remarked on it first. UMMMM HELLO, LET ME FINISH.

Moral of the story: Don’t take it personally. Don’t let it bother you too much. Learn from the lesson and be honest with yourself. It is going to be a tough rotation, and be excited about the challenge. I know medical student friends that had rotations in a hospital that they barely even scrubbed in on one proper surgery. I saw at least 10 surgeries per week. Sometimes you had surgeries from 7AM – 7PM!! Depending on the surgery case, you had several back to back or just one surgery that lasted all day. One of the surgeries I scrubbed in on was 8 hours long!! It was a vascular surgery. Those are always long. Ahhh, good times!! It was a tough rotation, but all in all, it was one of my most favorite memories of clinical rotations.

PS. if you are about to start surgery soon, be ready to feel like a badass.

PSS. There is another reason why I loved surgery core rotations so much. It has to do with the very first picture I have on here. Remember, to always keep striving and do your best to get the best out of every situation.