Last months

I was not looking forward to study surgery as a subject, as I knew that I had to prepare myself for 170 topics that I didn’t find interesting. Fortunately, I spent most of January at a local hospital on the western side of Norway where I had my surgical practice, where I got the chance to see and experience how it is to work as a surgeon. During my studies, I was almost completely sure that surgery was one of the medical fields that I knew for sure was not going to be my specialty in the future. Just the thought about 24 hour shifts at the hospital, with acute operations lasting for hours, meaning hours without a chance to go to the bathroom, eat or drink, or to itch your forehead. And also the big responsibility the surgeon has, just imagine that just one complication during the operation can kill a patient. Just the thought of this, is something nobody wants. Regarding my surgical practice - the first days I was introduced to the different procedures at the department, and got access to the database. During the 2nd week, I was the only “junior doctor” responsible for the gastroenterological clinic, and I got a chance to suture patients after their surgeries. During the 3rd week, I was allowed to assist during the operations, and spent time at the emergency room. And on the last day, I removed a nevus on my own, which was suspected to be malignant (see picture below). After my practice, the head of the department told me that he hoped he was going to see me again in just a few months from now, and I told him that I was hoping the same. It was enough to have 4 weeks of surgical practice to get rid of the initial aversion I had for the surgical field. I can’t say that I will become a surgeon, but I have to admit that just the thought is tempting. But first, I need to pass my state exam in surgery, before I can focus on this.