What it takes to be a surgeon

“Amid the bustling cries and wails of expecting women, arrives a white coat clad meek lady, executing orders to the staff nurses. The family members gaze at her with curious eyes. One lady in her early 70s is rebellious over the anticipated operation and wants to go to a midwife instead. The lady, the gynaecologist, in a flurry explains the complications threatening the life of the mother and the baby, and, pushes herself out to the operation theatre.”...

A doctor is considered to be the saviour of lives. Let us take a sneak peek into what it takes to be a surgeon.

Educational qualification

Surgeons go through rigorous educational training first spending five and a half years to get a MBBS degree, then a year of practical industry experience and again three years for MS. Be it gynaecology, general surgery, orthopaedics, paediatrics, or anaesthetics, women lead the beacon.  Many of them do not stop there. They go in for super-specialisation, such as, neurosurgery and plastic surgery.

Working hours

There is nothing like a typical day for a surgeon. While there may be shifts allocated at certain hospitals, a surgeon is supposed to be ‘on-call’ during an emergency, at any time.

Salary and prospects

For a start, you can expect 50-60K plus per month in government facilities. For other facilities, the earnings may be on commission basis per surgery performed or hourly basis for the visiting consultants. It depends upon the experience, reputation, location and the field of specialisation. For example, an anaesthetic surgeon is sought after for her sheer contribution to each surgery.

Apart from being associated full-time with a government or private hospital, you could be a faculty with a medical college, a visiting consultant or own a chamber for private practice. Retired surgeons are in great demand in charitable hospitals.

What you should be prepared for – the good and the bad

Being a surgeon, you are always on-your-toes. Dr. Daisy, a retired senior medical officer, recounts, “I did not see the sun for a year during the house job in the gynaecology department at Kapoor Hospital, Ludhiana. I was continuously on-call for deliveries and was completely cut-off from the world. The senior doctors often intervened for meals and sleep.”

Despite the pressure, what drew these ladies to the profession then? Dr. Ritu answers, “There is nothing like the satisfaction of bringing a smile to the face of a patient in pain.” It is the reverence associated with the profession for Dr. Daisy, “The respect a medical practitioner commands in our society is unmatchable as compared to any other profession.” She chuckles on a lighter note, “Nobody expects you to leave the job to bring up the children as it happens with the other working women!”

A myth about the career which needs to be busted

People feel doctors are money-minded, and many patients die due to their negligence. Dr. Ritu recently faced stone pelting at her residence for the death of a young lady during delivery. The worst part, she confesses, is the helplessness to see a patient dying when medical science fails to rescue. As she puts it, “It is emotionally draining.” Another misconception is that the surgeons are the hot pots of wealth. Dr. Daisy counters, “It is the hard-work over the years and the resulting goodwill that decides the earnings of a surgeon over a period of time.”

A little mind-trotting with the ladies donning the white coat, if given a choice would they still choose to be a surgeon, Dr. Ritu concludes, “Apart from the name, fame, and, the associated physical and emotional stress, it is the best profession to serve the mankind.”

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The content is this article is for reference purposes only. 

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