I'm finished with vascular surgery

[hopkins_student]

I just wanted to announce that I'm finished with what will likely be the most miserable month of my residency.

 

[RJman]

No proctology rotation?

 

[hopkins_student]

Originally Posted by RJman

No proctology rotation?
Eff no. Three months of general surgery this year (pediatric and vascular which are both finished and trauma which will be done in January), three months of neurology, and six months of neurosurgery. Actually, the three months of neurology have the potential to be pretty painful, but the striking similarity of neurology to a vacation should make it pretty bearable. And after this year, all neurosurgery all the time.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by hopkins_student

I just wanted to announce that I'm finished with what will likely be the most miserable month of my residency.

Congrats.

Several years ago, a seven surgeon, vascular practice tried to get me to be their practice manager. Those guys have 'tudes. Oh man, get a vascular surgeon talking about a cardiologist trying to do procedures. Good money though. Looking at their books, seemed like the boys were all drawing 350k salaries, plus year end payout based on how practice did.

 

[hopkins_student]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Those guys have 'tudes.
What you call a "'tude" I call an Axis II personality disorder. What a miserable group of people to be around.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by hopkins_student

What you call a "'tude" I call an Axis II personality disorder. What a miserable group of people to be around.

I can see you know exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[unjung]

Please explain further. Why does vascular surgery suck? Is it hard as hell?

 

[hopkins_student]

No, there's really nothing hard about it. It mostly involves lots of patients who have taken **** care of themselves for 75 years and so require an amputation, but in order for their amputation to heal they require a bypass. But the really bad part, as I've mentioned above, is the abundance of social pathology present amongst vascular surgeons (a common theme in almost all of the general surgery subspecialties). The only general surgery subspecialties where I think people are more decent than indecent are trauma (no ******** Lee) and pediatric surgery.

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by hopkins_student

the abundance of social pathology present amongst vascular surgeons (a common theme in almost all of the general surgery subspecialties).
Why do you think that is? Just curious.

 

[hopkins_student]

Originally Posted by RJman

Why do you think that is? just curious.
I don't yet have a good answer to this. I can only guess that it's a cultural issue that runs within most general surgery training programs, because I doubt that most of these people had these personality disorders when they started.

 

[Piobaire]

From observation, I think vascular surgeons have a bit of a chip on their shoulders. They are highly compensated, highly trained, and doing surgeries on people that by and large, are self-induced train wrecks. However, for all their skill, they get no "press" and no one in the general public even seems to know they exist. If you want to rile up a vascular surgeon, mention cardiologists doing vascular procedures.

 

[lawyerdad]

Originally Posted by hopkins_student

Eff no. Three months of general surgery this year (pediatric and vascular which are both finished and trauma which will be done in January), three months of neurology, and six months of neurosurgery. Actually, the three months of neurology have the potential to be pretty painful, but the striking similarity of neurology to a vacation should make it pretty bearable. And after this year, all neurosurgery all the time.

This confused me -- a bit of cognitive dissonance. Does it mean that the work is not very challenging, but that the rotation could be painful because of the company you'll be forced to keep?

Anyway, congrats.

 

[fareau]

There is little doubt in my mind that certain specialties attract specific personality types, and once the individual is within the respective training program, they are cultivated and shaped by the surrounding subculture (ie the nuances of the personality are given opportunity to "grow&quot.

PS: congratulations. What year are you?

 

[poorsod]

Originally Posted by hopkins_student

I just wanted to announce that I'm finished with what will likely be the most miserable month of my residency.

Nothing like the smell of gangrene to wake you up in the morning. At least dry gangrene is better than wet.

 

[hopkins_student]

Originally Posted by lawyerdad

This confused me -- a bit of cognitive dissonance. Does it mean that the work is not very challenging, but that the rotation could be painful because of the company you'll be forced to keep?

Anyway, congrats.
Interventions in neurology are rather limited. It is a field that, for the time being, is relatively heavy on diagnosis and description, but relatively thin on treatment. This is changing, but it's still going to be a very severe change of pace from what I'm used to in neurosurgery.