Would I have free time if I become a surgeon?
This question is such a pet peeve of mine. I just don't get how people really think that surgeons (all 1000 different kinds of them) spend 20 hours a day in the hospital and have no time for anything else. How much "fun" you have in college depends on how well you do. If you can pull a 3.8 and still party, then it's no problem. If you have to struggle for your grades, then more time will be spent studying and prepping. Premed does have more labwork than most other degrees, so you will have some very long days. Of course you can date if you want. I know plenty of physicians and surgeons who were married during college, med school, or residency. Once you get to med school, everything changes. You have time for med school and that's about it. You might be able to date, you might be able to party, but it is NOT like undergrad. If you want to do well, you have to sacrifice. Residency is hectic, but it's 80 hours a week max. And yes, you get time to blow off steam, go out to dinner, and even vacation. Now, once you are out of residency, how much you work is up to you. But, you have to remember that your income is based on patient volume and patient proecdures. If you want to work three 5 hour days a week, you aren't going to be pulling in much money. If you want a child right out of residency, you'll need a nanny or a stay at home partner to help you out until you can afford that part time schedule.
Is it possible to become a cardiac surgeon after becoming an interventional cardiologist?
Both are separate branches of specialization. A cardiac surgeon gets an MS in General Surgery after MBBS and then Mch in cardiothoracic surgery. A cardiologist gets an MD in General Medicine and then DM in Cardiology. So both require at least 6 years of training, let alone the experience post degree. So it is not practical to switch between both streams although it is theoretically possible.Regarding your opinion that cardio thoracic surgery is dead is not true. Both fields of Cardiology are thriving with rapid advances. You may note many stalvarts of medical field in India are prominent cardiac surgeons like Dr. KM Cherian, Professor M.S Valiathan, Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty. If you are interested in cardiac surgery I would encourage you to follow your dream.
Is it possible to be a part-time commercial pilot?
Not only is it possible, it is typical. Most professional pilots are not kept busy full time. Many of them have “side gigs” such as flight instruction or some other business.Flying is sufficiently demanding that it does not make sense to do it 40 hours per week. There are lots of complicated rules which limit the amount of time a pilot can spend on the flight deck. These rules work to limit fatigue.What you want as a pilot is some sort of second job that allows you to work, but on your own schedule or at a pace you can control. One pro pilot I know took on the job of maintaining his neighbor’s yards. Mowing, etc. He would typically be on a 3–4 day trip, rest for a day, do some yard work for exercise, hang out, repeat….
Is it possible to be both a surgeon and take part in research?
Certainly. Many of the great discoveries in the past century were discovered by surgeon researchers. Even the Heimlich maneuver was discovered by a surgeon.I was directly involved in a surgical research study when I was younger, but not as a doctor. I was born with a cleft palate and lip, and there was some uncertainty as to the best way to surgically correct that.For many years, I was followed at a multidisciplinary clinic, where I was evaluated by speech pathologists, ENTs, oral surgeons, plastic surgeons, oromaxillofacial surgeons. I went many times over my childhood and I'm sure my case helped contribute to the state of knowledge.It also got me interested in medicine. I was a rather precocious child, and I think I asked as many questions as they did, much to their amusement.
Becoming a surgeon...?
Wow... the moment I decided to become a surgeon was exciting, and felt good. Now I'm still deciding alot of things and worrying: -People keep saying, "you can't do it" -I'm afraid I'll get sick or lose an arm or something -I'm afraid I'll pour my whole life into medicine, and then no one will want to employ me -I don't know what specialty to take up, I want to do it ALL! -I'm afraid of messing up and killing someone, then getting kicked out -I'm afraid I'll make a mistake -I'm afraid I'm not smart enough -I'm afraid no one in med school or internship will like me and kick me out -I have no idea how to get started with the medicine career, I need help! +and various other things So, somebody, ANYBODY, if they can give me their MSN name or AIM name, so I have someone to talk to about all this? My MSN: Prettyinpunk48@hotmail.com My AIM: DDRshadowfreak48 My MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jigsaw_rebirth Please someone, I really need help and I have questions!
Is it possible to become a lawyer and a doctor?
There are actually a few combined MD/JD programs out there, so yes, it's possible. You don't major in premed or prelaw....you major in whatever you like (which if you're interested in law, is probably poli sci, history, philosophy, etc) and also take the premed series of classes. It's definitely possible. That said, by the time you near the time to apply, your interests will probably have shifted strongly from one to another (for instance, the vast majority of people who start college as a premed do not end up applying to med school). Your interests and perspective on the world will change, and that's ok. Also, think hard about why you want to do both, because your ultimate career should incorporate both disciplines....it's unrealistic to have half of a law practice and half of a medical practice, and so you shouldn't do it just because you think both are cool or can't decide. People who get both degrees end up either never using one or, and this is the minority, go on to do specific blended career. For most careers where you would think the MD/JD would be useful, however, it's usually a waste of time.....lawyers focusing on medical law hire doctors for expert medical knowledge, and medical administrators end up hiring lawyers for legal issues (because there's not time to do both yourself). I'm not too familiar with the combined MD/JD programs, but most combined MD/other degree programs work in that you do one degree and then the other, or do the preclinical years of med school, stop and do the other degree, and then go back to do the clinical years so you are prepared to continue on to residency.
Can a surgeon be a part-time pilot?
Doctors of any sort have a reputation for being lousy pilots. The reason is, mainly, that they don’t have time to maintain skills. Surgeons in particular. I know of two surgeons who killed themselves and members of their families because they flew back home in bad weather because they had operations scheduled the next day.As a flight surgeon in Vietnam I had the opportunity to “pilot” planes in my squadron frequently, and I figured when I got back to the US I’d get my license. Not long after returning to a base back home I took a ride in a private plane piloted by a former Vietnam chopper pilot, now a realtor trying to sell me property on the other side of the state.He landed in very strong crosswinds, with too little power and too much flaps, and the plane blew off the runway and flipped upside down. As I hung from the seatbelts, watching gas drip out of the wing-tanks, I decided if I became a part-time pilot like this guy I’d probably be as bad as he was.So I didn’t.
Is it possible to be both a surgeon and a psychiatrist?
It’s unusual for an individual to want to complete medical school, then a 5–7 surgical residency, then return to postgraduate training for 3 years of psychiatry training, but I am aware of at least one case. A colleague of mine had applied for medical school while he was a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. Only days before the Chinese attacked the Marines at the Chosin reservoir, he was ordered (over his objections) to return to the US as he had been admitted to medical school.After finishing Medical School and a 7 year training program in Neurosurgery, he worked as a Neurosurgeon for the Navy, until his back was severely injured in a very rough night landing on an aircraft carrier. He had rehabilitation therapy at the VA, but never recovered sufficiently to consistently stand up for lengthy neurosurgical procedures.During his rehabilitation at the VA, he became interested in the work going on at the Menninger Clinic, a psychiatric training program and clinic next door and decided to complete a residency and work as a psychiatrist, as that was less stressful for his back. But while he maintained board certification in both specialties, he primarily worked as a psychiatrist and seemed quite satisfied with his work.So, I suppose the answer is yes, it’s possible, but rather uncommon. Not sure there is a moral to this true story, except try to avoid night carrier landings if at all possible.
What is the hardest part of being s surgeon?
The time commitment. Often, depending upon what kind of surgeon, but applying to most, you get called for emergencies, which can happen at any time. Even if you don't have to go to the operating room in the middle of the nite, you have to wake up, answer the phone, listen to the information, make a life-and-death decision, and be right. This does not make for good sleep. And this may be every nite, for a person's entire career. All this gets harder as one gets older. Yikes! I see many surgeons in their 40's and 50's who are burned out, and hating life. I'm not sure they would have voted for it, in hindsight
Is it a good idea to become a part time surgical technician while in college or would the load be too much?
Humm…interesting question.In my opinion, it would work, as long as the clinic or hospital where you work had part-time or per diem hours that worked for you. Also, it would help immensely if you were allowed to be exempt from being on-call.On the other hand, if you are already an experience and / or certified surgical technician, and are experienced in eye surgery, you might want to look into working for your local eye or tissue bank on an on-call basis.I specialized in general surgery and eye surgery, but had to drop out of scrubbing cases when I began attending nursing school since it was too intensive. However, through a friend I learned of an opening for a part-time procurement technician and managed to get an on-call position with New England Eye Bank our of Boston. I’d done procurements before and not only had the stomach for it, but found the corneal removal and scleral procurements (whole eyeball) fasinating, so I managed to snag a job with the eye bank. The money and the hours were perfect while I was in college.I’ve been out-of-touch with surgical technology for quite a few years though, so I no longer have my finger on the pulse of that trade. But, like most technicians I know, you scrub into one of those interesting, marathon cases and before you know it you’re refusing to be scrubbed out and an hour turns into eight and ten hours. Interesting question though…good luck to you.