As a Doctor, Which Medical Specialty Are You Glad And Grateful You Did Not Choose To Practice In?

This question was originally posted on Quora.com and was answered by Mehmet Erdem Alagüney, Medical Doctor at Occupational Medicine



When I was in medical school and especially during the internship, I always dreamed of being a general surgeon. I thought they were really cool, saving lives, not stuck in the laboratory or examining the imaging work ups but touching the patient, ‘cutting the illness with their knives’ to cure the human being.

One day a junior resident asked me what I was planning to specialize in. I said ‘general surgery’. He asked ‘why?’ I replied they're cool, wearing those fancy scrubs and surgical caps. The guy laughed and told me “You'll wear your cool surgical cap and change wound dresses at 6 am after a 5 hour surgery after midnight.”

In that very moment I realized what was going on. As a 24 year old young man I was only interested in the outlook. But I did not see the hard work, devotion and dedication. I examined myself and saw that I was not able to do that. I was not that ‘strong’. So I went on another path: internal medicine and occupational medicine.

I really love what I do now. And when I see a hardworking general surgeon who is dealing with hours of surgeries and endless nights of on-call duties, I look them with admiration and I thank God that I did not choose that specialty.

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