Surgeons are integral part of the medical community. Their skills and knowledge have gone a long way toward being able to extend life expectancy rates in the general population. By treating specific disorders, removing cancer, and correcting problems, the surgeon is able to help people return to a normal pace of life, sometimes in just a few weeks. To become a surgeon, it takes a strong desire because the challenges of this profession can be quite great. Here are some interesting facts about surgeons to consider if you may be thinking about this job as a career option. 1. Surgeons are required to go through a lot of education before they begin. How much education a surgeon requires is dependent on local licensing, regulations, and governing laws. In general, someone wishing to become a surgeon must first become a licensed medical doctor with a generalized degree. To achieve this general MD status, most jurisdictions require that a doctor have a pre-med degree in science and then an actual medical degree, although sometimes these degrees can be combined. 2. There is a fierce competition in most fields of specialized surgery. It takes a lot of experience to apply for the limited positions that are available for candidates in surgical training departments. Even though these surgeon programs are typically at medical schools, a doctor usually needs several years of generalized medical practice before they’ll even be considered for a potential opening. The criteria are very strict, so typically the best doctors become surgeons. 3. It takes at least 10 years of education before most surgeons are able to find employment. This means that one of the strongest traits that any surgeon can have is a desire to succeed. There is an extensive commitment required to become a surgeon and any candidate must be able to work very well under pressure. Long hours of continuous work are often required for surgeons as well and you need to do more than just like working with your hands – you’ve got to have steady, sure hands in order to become a surgeon. 4. Surgery was practiced as early as 1600 BC. There is evidence that the Egyptians were the first to practice what could be considered a primitive form of surgery. There are scrolls that show in vivid detail that there were doctors who could split an injured leg or drain an abscess. There is also evidence from the various mummies that were left that dental surgery was a common practice. They were even able to drill out cavities and affix bridges. Most people look at Hippocrates, however, as the father of modern medicine because his books on surgeries. 5. There is a huge job outlook for surgeons within the next decade. According the the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is expected to be an 18% increase in the need for surgeons. There were nearly 700,000 surgeons employed in the United States and another 125,000 surgeons are expected to be needed within the next 10 years. With ages that are, on average, about $90 per hour, there is definitely a financial incentive involved in the pursuit of becoming a surgeon. 6. Busier surgeons are more likely to be influenced by their patients. Although the skill of surgery comes from education, the preparation and recovery process is almost always directly dependent on patient preferences. This is because of how busy a surgeon tends to be in every community. If a patient has some knowledge about what they need and the surgeon believes that there is integrity in that knowledge, then prescriptions are often created based on what the patient wants instead of what the surgeon may think is required. 7. Surgeons interrupt their patients a lot. There is some data to suggest that patients are interrupted by their surgeons quite a lot over the course of a pre-surgery consultation. On average, patients find that they are interrupted by surgeons in a conversation once every 14 seconds. There is a direct correlation to the amount of patients that a surgeon sees on a daily or weekly basis. The busiest surgeons are not only more prone to interrupt people, but they’re more likely to just write whatever prescription someone wants to move onto the next patient. 8. Patients who believe that their surgeon treats them with respect are more likely to follow their doctor’s advice. The communication that a surgeon has with their patient has a direct impact on their health in multiple ways. Multiple studies have shown that patients who believe that their doctor took their concerns seriously and attempted to meet those concerns were more likely to follow a treatment plan that is in place. There is also evidence that transparent communication has a direct impact on high blood pressure rates, balanced emotions, and even lower values in blood sugar readings that are taken on a daily basis. 9. Surgeons shake a lot of hands every day. One of the oddities of the human race is that almost everyone wants to shake hands with their surgeon. Less than 20% of people, in fact, don’t want to have shake their surgeon’s hands. Part of this might be because of the need of a patient to feel like they need to trust their surgeon with their life. The act of shaking hands is more about showing an enemy that there are no weapons being displayed. 10. Surgeons are usually taller and better looking than the average doctor. Although it may just be a simple bias, researchers from Barcelona Hospital have noticed that men who wish to pursue surgery are typically taller and more handsome than other male doctors. Women are usually more attractive according to general society standards. Even actors who play doctors in a movie or on television are typically better looking than other actors. Being a surgeon might be a difficult career, but it is also a rewarding career. These interesting facts about surgeons will let you know if this is a career path you might wish to pursue as well. Source
