LOOK PAST YOUR PEERS’ PEDIGREES

How much does pedigree matter in the field of surgery? It's easy to question whether or not we have what it takes when there is so much emphasis on prestige and legacy.

To answer this question, just look at where some of the most accomplished surgical pioneers have come from.

Here are 3 stories that will convince you of what really matters.

Aldo Castaneda grew up in Europe during WWII fearing for his safety and moved to Guatemala to study medicine. When he eventually came to the University of Minnesota for residency, it was only for a one-year trial period at first. But he became one of the most celebrated cardiac surgeons.

Lall Sawh grew up selling produce at the market in Trinidad and Tobago and used brown paper bags as notebooks. But he worked hard to finish medical school in Jamaica, then eventually completed training in the UK and at the Mayo Clinic as a urologist, and pioneered kidney transplants in the Caribbean.

Vivien Thomas never had a chance to go to college or medical school due to the Great Depression, He worked as a surgical research assistant and lab supervisor. But he was not discouraged, and helped pioneer a procedure to save children with Tetralogy of Fallot.

The theme that ties these successful surgeons together is not pedigree. In the long run, it is commitment to excellence, grit, tirelessness, passion, and other internal traits that set them apart.

It is not about what the names of schools enable you to do, but rather about what your name will come to signify. It is not about being born into a legacy, but rather creating the one to come.

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Jason J. Han is a cardiac surgery resident who talks about his work plainly and openly.

The opinions expressed in the article are not affiliated with any institution, company or product. The article should not be interpreted as medical advice.