An Essay On Becoming A Surgeon

Becoming a general surgeon is an extensive, strenuous path, but a worthwhile one. To quote Gary Player, a professional golfer, “The harder I practice, the luckier I get” (“50 Inspirational Quotes,” The Muse). Just as he had to work hard to reach the top of his game, surgeons have to work hard to get to the top of the medical field. It takes years of dedication, but it all pays off. Surgery is a highly rewarding career, as they get to see their results everyday through the eyes of the families who thought their relation wouldn’t see another day. Surgeons get to save lives; they get to make a difference. Without them, society wouldn’t function quite the same. Becoming a surgeon takes years of dedication, but it is extremely rewarding as they get to …show more content…
In fact, in previous times all surgeons were general surgeons. Surgery itself started in ancient times, with one of the first being trepanation, a procedure in which a hole is drilled in the skull. After that came bloodletting in the 1500’s. “Modern” surgery didn’t come into play until the 1800’s with the invention of anesthesia and antiseptic, but death rates were still high. Appendicitis meant death until 1885 and the risk of dying on the table was above 50% until the 1900’s. Death rates lowered with the discovery of antibiotics in 1928 (Whitlock). Today, there are x-rays and robots to help treat patients and the first full face transplant was performed in 2010. Surgery has come a long way from tying someone down to “sedate” them. Surgeons have progressed far past the rudimentary training they used to receive. Now it takes many years of hard work and dedication. Beginning in high school, students need to start focusing on classes that relate to surgery and keeping their grades up. Grades have an exceedingly high importance and they must be strong in anatomy, biology, math, science, communications, chemistry, and