A Day In Life of an Orthopaedic Surgeon

This past Thursday, after a semester of torture, I decided that I needed to refocus on remind myself why I am studying science. For this, I enlisted the help of my father. Thursday are his operating days, so I spent the day in the OR with him.

I have been coming to the OR since high school. I remember, one day, it occurred to me, "I know that my dad is a surgeon and he always tells me 'I am in surgery all day', but what does that mean? What does he do all day?" That's when I asked dad for the first time if I could come to the OR with him. He was delighted and so happy to share that part of his work with me. (I'd gone to his office dozens of times, but never the operating room.)

Normally, having your kid come watch you in the OR would be a bit difficult, but since my dad's practice has its own surgical center, it was a piece of cake! What luck. Since then, I try to go to the OR with him as often as possible. Even if it's the same cases I have seen dozens of times, I still like being in the OR.

In fact, when I was working as a clinical research assistant for a breast surgeon, I was given access to the hospital OR's, so now I was able to bounce between the hospital and my dad's surgical center. This new privilege and job position allowed me to not only watch orthopaedic cases, but breast surgery, general surgery, plastic surgery, and pain management! I think I have observed about 200 surgeries over the course of eight years? Maybe more!
in the OR with my scrubs and booties

I wasn't always obsessed with surgery. No sir. I used to go to the OR with dad because I thought it was cool, but I never saw myself a surgeon. (Not enough patience). That changed once I began working with a local breast surgeon, Dr. K. She is amazing! She taught me so much about breast cancer, surgery, and what it's like to be a woman/wife/mom with a career. She was the reason that I realized that I really wanted to be a doctor and it is because of my time with her, that I decided to enroll in a post-bac premed program. 

It was a lot of fun being in the OR. It was a great reminder for me. As I watched my dad operate, I kept thinking, "One day, that could be you! You could be the surgeon." It really helped me refocus. Being in the OR helped me to keep my eye on the prize: AN MD DEGREE. Dad was great, walking me through his case, answering questions that I had. He is always so lovely. I know he can't wait for me to become a medical student so that I can scrub in and get an even closer look at the operation! (I am looking forward to that day too!)
sterile table with instruments

With my month off for winter break, I hope to spend more time in the OR, as well as in the office seeing patients with dad. I will also be returning to work for Dr. K for a little bit, so if I am lucky, I will be able to see some breast surgery too! I am so fascinated with breast surgery and breast cancer. In fact, I hope to be a breast surgeon myself, just like Dr. K! 

*DISCLAIMER: I DON'T HAVE MANY PICTURES FROM THE OR BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE HIPAA COMPLIANT AND PROTECT THE PRIVACY OF BOTH THE PATIENTS AND THE SURGICAL STAFF* 

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