So You Want To Be A Trauma Surgeon

Picture this. A train crash occurs that leaves a lot of individuals in critical conditions. Someone decides to dial 911 and the EMT’s are dispatched to provide care to the injured and some are rushed to the hospital’s emergency department. About 5 -6 doctors crowd one patient and examine them and some are taking to the operating room only to realize that there is a bomb in one of the patients. Ok we can save that last part for grey anatomy but if you’ve ever had an emergency, there is a high chance you were attended to by an ER doctor or a trauma surgeon.

What do Trauma surgeon do

Trauma surgeon or doctors are responsible for treating trauma injuries whether they be blunt or penetrating. Trauma surgeons have to be vast in general, thoracic, vascular surgery and unlike other specialties they never specialize in just one area. Trauma patients have often experienced a car accident, physical assault, high-impact sports injury, or a fall. Some of the commonly operated-on organs include:

• Pancreas
• Spleen
• Stomach
• Colon

Requirements for Trauma Surgeons

In Canada, the path to become a trauma surgeon is relatively the same with other specialties and only differing in the time for residency and fellowship. Individuals interested in going into trauma surgery will have to complete

• four years of an undergraduate education
• four years of medical school
• 5–7 years of residency
• 1–2 years of fellowship

You will also have to complete some certifications exams before you are allowed to operate.

Qualities of a Good Trauma Surgeon

In medicine, there are a lot of long paths to a specific qualification and so one should carefully consider their options before embarking on the journey. With that said, a successful trauma surgeon

• works well in teams (fast paced environment)
• likes critical care medicine
• likes fast paced, high-intensity environments
• likes shift work type schedule
• is natural born leadership (confidence)

If this sound like you then you would be great for this role, but before making the final decision one has to consider the major pros and cons.

Pros

• high Salary — 377,964 (CAD)/yr
• high demand role, less competition
• immediately influence on patients health
• balanced time operating and seeing ICU patients

Cons

• emotionally and physically draining
• even with shifts you have to be available 24/7

Now understanding the details of what being a trauma surgeon entails, is trauma the right career for you? Wait — don’t answer that yet! First, with your new knowledge of the field , consider the aspects of a career in medicine that are important to you along with your scientific interests. Next, think about your motivations for becoming a physician and what you see yourself doing in the future. Finally, consider your sense of curiosity’s strength and identify whether it is intrinsic to your personality because, after all, curiosity is what the profession is all about. Now, you can answer the question: Do you want to be a Trauma Surgeon? Stay tuned for next week’s “So You Want To Be” post!