It’s been about three weeks since I found out that I matched into my number one general surgery program and I am still on an absolute high. There were so many moments in medical school where I kept asking myself, “Is this going to be worth it someday?” For all of you still questioning this, IT IS SO WORTH IT.
You question a lot when you apply to medical school. You question a lot when you’re studying for your first set of boards. You question yourself on what specialty you’ll ultimately choose. You question yourself more times than you can count during the residency application process.
I no longer have to question the direction of my career and that is the most amazing feeling ever.
The big question I get though is, why general surgery?
Even on my days off, I like to keep myself busy, whether that’s hanging out with friends/family, blogging, or reading. From the numerous rotations in surgery, I’ve learned that you are always engaged in something. I really love the fast-paced nature of surgery. I also love the aspect of working with patients on the floor, hopping into the OR, and still having the ability to work in a clinic setting. Plus, if you like crafting and doing procedures, that is the basis of surgery! I picked general surgery because of the wide variety of fellowships that could follow residency from breast, vascular, minimally invasive, colorectal, plastics, surgical oncology, etc.
I think I knew surgery was my calling when I was driving home at 8 pm after a 13 hour day and was beaming and gushing about my day to my friend. He was like, “You haven’t had a bad day on this rotation yet, unlike your other ones.” And this was true throughout my three months of surgery auditions rotations. No matter how long I worked or how early I had to wake up, I left the hospital feeling really happy.
I’m just so thankful that I get to be in the field that makes me feel that way.
