Letter to a Young Surgeon I
The author of the 'Letter to a Young Surgeon I' reflects on the key motivators to his resolution to pursue surgery studies. He recounts that surgery profession is a personal decision based on one’s capabilities. For instance, one of the key requirements for medical studies is proficiency in mathematics and physics. The author is logically proficient in these studies with little preference for humanities and literature. The other reason why the author prefers surgical studies is his desire to work independently or with a few like-minded companions. Additionally, the other reason that prompts him to go for medical studies is to serve humanity and save lives.
The author uses his surgical studies and experiences to counsel the medical interns on what to expect as they chase their dreams. The author explains that a surgical intern works day and night strictly by following the instructions of his superiors. An intern executes numerous orders of his superiors to odd hours of the night when everyone else is asleep. The intern goes through first to fourth-year residential stages executing the orders of his superiors after which he becomes a chief resident to work under a professor or any other senior surgeon. The author warns that the severest saddle a surgical intern has to put up with is the impoliteness of the senior surgeons. For instance, the superior surgeons are authoritative and can sometimes scold at medical interns unnecessarily. Consequently, the author cautions the upcoming medical interns to be aware of this and not get disappointed when executing their duties. The author concludes by welcoming the interested surgical learners to the rough terrain of medical studies and advises them to seek God’s intervention.
Letter to a Young Surgeon III
In the “Letter to a Young Surgeon III”, the author who is an experienced surgeon explains the hurdles a new medic is likely to stumble upon in the operation room. The writer admits that fainting in the operating room is not new since he has experienced the same severally. He equates surgery as an exploration of tropical woodland because it entails discovering the human body. More importantly, he asserts that attaining the objective of human body exploration is vital because the foremost goal of a surgeon is to help the patient recover and function normally. Similarly, he makes clear that it is important to listen and talk with the patient using a kind language to gain the trust of the patient. To be a successful surgeon, one has to be consistent and be patient.
The author argues that the first step for a surgeon to overcome fainting in the operating room is to be consistent and visit the Anatomy Laboratory more often. Gaining perfection in surgery work requires the surgeon to practice continuously and more importantly avoid repeating similar mistakes. Unremitting dissection is a lifetime practice for any surgeon looking forward to be perfect in his work. The author expounds that surgery is an art perfected through repetition implying that there is no shortcut for the surgeon to attain his perfection except habitual visits to the anatomy laboratory.
The author sums up that attaining faultlessness in any surgery work requires patience. A young surgeon must be patient with his seniors and take all instructions given to him at all times. He continues to advise that unless set free by the senior surgeon, the young practicing surgeon must hang on until given a green light to work independently. One cannot survive in the industry with inadequate experience. Therefore, to avoid fainting in the operating room a young surgeon must be tolerant with his seniors to ensure that he fully understands the expectations of the operating room.
