Life is never fair…Just get on with it!!

Surgeons are a naturally diverse group of driven people. Most unfortunately inherit a type A personality. As anyone who had attended and morbidity and mortality conference will tell you, most of them are highly opinionated and would be more than happy to argue to prove their point -This is especially so as one progresses in ones career and becomes more senior……

There is a very good reason behind this phenomenon…From a very early age in training surgeons are taught to survive and thrive under very hostile circumstances….training is long and arduous , the dropout rate is very high….Mistakes and omissions are unforgiving. One serious mistake is enough to get kicked out of the training program if you are unlucky. Historically there were very few good mentors around who were approachable and understanding of the trainees needs…..Though things have changed in recent times. Once you have completed the long and difficult climb to the top and graduated from residency training , there is a fierce competition for jobs. Many skills to master even after graduation , technology and techniques are always evolving ! Life never gets easy!!

It is not surprising that the end product of such gruelling training is to desensitize the trainee to a certain extent that some degree of “mental toughness” is inevitable …..at times you just have to get along with the job at hand , regardless whether you have been up whole night or worked for the last 12 hours or feeling at our best…you cannot let go of the retractor to grab a coffee or empty your bladder until you are done however much you desire.!

It is indeed these tough times that brings the best out of the best surgeons……It is the time when you are tired after a long operation that you have to do the most critical bit ….It is the emergency case of the middle of the night such as the road traffic collision patient with the ruptured liver or spleen that needs the most technically demanding operation…..Your assistant is the most junior doctor that had never scrubbed in before ! The scrub nurse assisting you has never scrubbed into a general surgical case and looks totally blank when you ask for an instrument !! Meanwhile the patient on table is dying on you!!!

But one thing that every surgeon learns early in his or her career is that “Life is never fair – Just get on with it’. No excuses, No complains …Just get on with it. It is indeed true for surgery and most other thing in life….. Life is never fair…Just get on with it!!!

Catch you soon!

LBS