"Navigating Different Attending Styles In Surgical Training”
In your surgical training you’ll not only see a wide breadth of procedures, but also a wide range of techniques in performing the same operation.
This can be confusing at first because we are trained to search for the right way of doing something. So, how do we make sense of the fact that different surgeons do things differently and figure out how we ultimately want to do things?
Here are three tips for digesting and integrating different styles into building your own successful practice as an attending surgeon:
1. Setup is key.
In your education, you’ll come across surgeons that seem to just know where to cut or dissect. You’ll also see surgeons that struggle with finding the right plane or deploying the appropriate instruments where they want them. One thing I’ve realized after going into practice is that operative success relies on setting up an operation properly.
If you set things up correctly, suddenly the gallbladder seems to show itself. There is little need for awkward angles, torquing of your neck, or jamming an instrument into a space where it barely fits. A good operation is an easy operation. So, when your attending harps on you for not positioning the patient properly or taking the time to set up the retractors just so, remember, they’re just trying to teach you how to be a successful surgeon when you go off on your own and there’s no longer a senior there to back you up. Anyone can tie a knot or fire a stapler. Not everyone can make it easy.
2. Show your attendings respect by being curious.
Medical school and residency is not just about learning, but also about building relationships with other surgeons. Take the time to not just nod your head in agreement or follow orders, but try to figure out why this person does it a certain way. As you come across different surgeons and their techniques, respect the fact that these surgeons have taken innumerable hours to refine these methods, inquire why they have decided to do it the way they do, and make all of them a part of your armamentarium so that you can deploy them in the future when you most need.
3. On the Boards, there is a right answer, but the reality is more nuanced.
In training you’ll see instances where attendings may differ in their approach from what you have read in the literature, or from the Board prescribed answer. And oftentimes, their patients do just fine. Remember that as you prepare for your Boards, you will be tested based on a set and regimented set of answers to clinical questions. Take the time to master those principles, but also understand that a career in surgery is about being adaptable to complex scenarios.
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Dr. William Yi is a minimally invasive surgeon seeking out the red pills of a surgical life.
The opinions expressed in the article are not affiliated with any institution, company or product. The article should not be interpreted as medical advice.
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