Dr. Timothy Pawlik, an experienced surgeon, says that one of the most gratifying parts of his job is seeing patients years after their surgeries, and knowing that one of the reasons these patients are thriving is because of his work.
Pawlik, who is a professor and the chair of the department of surgery at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, frequently operates on people with cancer to remove their tumors. He says that surgeons and their patients often share a strong emotional bond, because surgery patients place an enormous amount of faith in their physicians, trusting them to fix what is broken without causing harm.
“That’s an immense amount of trust that someone is putting into your hands,” Pawlik says.
He adds that one of the reasons he chose to practice surgery, as opposed to another medical specialty, is that he likes the idea that he can heal the sick by working with his hands. “If you talk to many patients who have had an operation, they will often articulate that they do have a special bond with their surgeon.”
[Understand the challenges of getting accepted into medical school.]
Practicing surgeons and medical school admissions consultants say aspiring surgeons who are applying to medical school need to know that surgery is an intensely competitive specialty, and that it is incredibly difficult for medical students to get placed in a surgery residency.
“Aspiring surgeons should know that surgery residencies are exceptionally competitive, perhaps even more competitive than getting into a top medical school,” said Dr. McGreggor Crowley, a college admissions counselor at the IvyWise admissions consulting firm and an alumnus of Harvard Medical School, via email.
Crowley says surgery residency match rates are a key factor for aspiring surgeons to consider when they compare medical schools.
“When deciding which medical school to attend, reviewing match lists from prior years might give the applicant a general idea of where past years’ graduates have matched and what residency programs they are now attending,” CrowIey said. “If I were to see few people on the match list going into surgery, I might look elsewhere, or at least question why so few graduates from that school head into surgery. A match list showing plenty of students heading into top-level surgical residencies is a great indication that a medical school is preparing its students well for surgery residencies.”
Pawlik says that a med school where students often elect to enter the surgery specialty is probably a place with engaging surgery faculty, since students are significantly more likely to compete for a surgery residency if they enjoyed their surgery clinical rotations.
[Consider residency placement when choosing a medical school.]
Dr. Rafael Lugo, a general surgeon based in Houston, says aspiring surgeons should look for a med school where they will get as much hands-on surgery experience as possible and have the opportunity to try out many different types of surgery procedures.
One question that medical students should ask is how many students are assigned to each cadaver used in anatomy classes. The fewer students per cadaver, the better, Lugo says, because that means the student will get more practice before dealing with surgery patients.
Lugo adds that evaluating the quality of a med school’s anatomy course is a crucial way for aspiring surgeons to identify a med school that provides solid preparation for a surgery career. Lugo says that it is important to find out who teaches the anatomy course, because it is ideal if the course is taught by a surgeon because he or she will be able to identify the aspects of anatomy that matter most during surgery, Lugo says. An anatomy course taught by a nonphysician with a doctorate in anatomy would be the second-best option, but it’s still a good option, he adds.
Another vital factor for surgery-focused med school applicants to consider, surgeons suggest, is the quality of a medical school’s surgery research and whether the school is designing and implementing cutting-edge surgery methods, such as new diagnostic techniques that improve surgery outcomes.
One positive sign, Lugo says, is when a med school is either home to or close to a highly-regarded surgery residency program, because this can provide med students a leg up in the surgery resident selection process, Lugo says. It’s also ideal if the school has a top-notch surgical hospital on campus or nearby, he adds.
Ideally, aspiring surgeons would attend a med school that is investigating which surgery methods are the safest and most effective and introducing new surgery techniques, says Dr. Michael Rimlawi, a spine surgeon and the director and founder of the Minimally Invasive Spine Institute in Texas.
[Identify strong evidence-based medicine programs.]
Rimlawi says aspiring surgeons should seek a med school with faculty who are producing cutting-edge research on surgery. “Students can gain insight as to the quality of the professor by reviewing their number of publications in peer-reviewed medical journals,” Rimlawi said via email. “These publications are a good sign that the professors are dedicated to the advancement of their surgical specialty. It also shows they prioritize researching new technology and scientific advances which will change how the surgical field is practiced.”
Dr. Rohit Sharma, a surgical oncologist at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center and assistant professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, says it’s a good idea for aspiring surgeons to attend a medical school with a strong surgery department, if possible, but that they shouldn’t forget that the overall quality of the medical school matters, not just the caliber of the surgery department.
Crowley says premeds who have the good fortune to be admitted to multiple medical schools can determine which of those schools provide the best surgical training by asking admissions officers and current students important questions. “Ask them about options and electives that are available for surgery-interested students, and about the support they provide to students who might want a career in the field,” he said. “You can also ask to be connected with the students who run the surgical interest groups for the medical school; they’re usually great at giving candid feedback on the good and bad aspects of the medical school and since they’re current students, the input they can provide is that much more pertinent. ”
Sharma says attending a med school with a strong surgery department enables med students to gain exposure to multiple types of surgery.
“They will have access to the latest technological tools and, therefore, attract patients with complex surgical problems because they are uniquely positioned to treat these cases,” Sharma said via email. “This provides a wealth of opportunities for the student to learn about the specialty and ultimately decide if this is the right field to pursue in advanced training.”
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Why You Should Target Med Schools With Strong Surgery Programs originally appeared on usnews.com
