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Fawzyah Al Ali

Shannon Blair

ENG 111

17 April 2019

My Dream of Becoming a Surgeon

Al-Zahrawi, born in 936, is known as one of the greatest surgeons of his time. His

encyclopedia of surgery was used all across Europe for over 500 years (Shaikh). Before

medication, surgeons were called in to heal all kinds of pain and to treat infections. Surgery has

changed extensively since Al-Zahrawi’s time. It is now an extremely well-respected profession

requiring a great deal of education and training. Surgeons must complete at least three years of

college before entering medical school or osteopathic school. Both of these programs are four

years long. Some schools offer a combined college degree/medical school program which lasts

only six years (Field).

Employment prospects for surgeons are extremely good. A surgeon can work “in a

hospital, health care facility, nursing home, prison, medical group, HMO, urgi-center, surgi-

center, clinic, or public health center” (Field). Currently, there over 877,000 surgeons in the

United States alone (“Physicians & Surgeons”). The average salary for surgeons in the U.S. is

$208,000 and can be far more depending on the skill of the surgeon (“Surgeons”). Some of the

most chronic problems of the profession include working very long hours, treating patients with

very complicated problems -- especially in the United States – and being pushed to be

businessmen and women and treat patients as customers (Agha).

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Working very long hours is definitely one of the main challenges facing surgeons. Dr.

Samer Diab Agha, owner and CEO of the Diab Agha Kidney and Hypertension Clinic in

Broward County, Florida, said that when he opened his clinic he was the solo practitioner and he

had to work 12 hours every day without any breaks or vacations. Only now, after five years, is he

able to finally take off some weekends and have more of a work-life balance (Agha). Surgeons

may be on call for a variety of emergencies as well as scheduled procedures. “Some operations

are very long and require the surgeon to be on his or her feet for many hours” (Field).

A solution to the problem of overwork is to be able to share the burden with others in

your practice or clinic. Now, for example, Dr. Agha has hired nurses and physician’s assistants

he trusts that allow him to be able to take time off every now and then. It takes a long time, he

said, if you have your own practice, to find people that you trust (Agha). Solutions for very long

hours standing up are getting enough rest, sleeping at least eight hours each day, eating balanced

meals, and taking enough vacation time. The hospital could also reduce working hours for

surgeons or alternate days for who is on call.

Additionally, another major difficulty for surgeons can be how complicated treatments

are for their patients. It takes a great degree of skill and training to become a surgeon, and

surgeries can sometimes last all day, depending on the treatment. Dr. Agha once had to perform

a biopsy on a patient who weighed 500 pounds, for example, and it was an extremely

complicated procedure because the patient was obese. Other complications might be more

experimental surgeries when the surgeon does not have practice, or it may be the first time they

ever performed this kind of surgery. New technology is discovered often and surgeons have to

know how to use it. There are also many risks, such as: ensuring the patient is healthy enough for

the surgery; some surgeries require work on vital organs which are riskier; if the surgeon makes
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a mistake, the patient can sue him or her, resulting in a loss of his or license or higher insurance

payments.

To combat this issue of complicated patients, surgeons must read as much as possible

about new treatments and surgery techniques. They need to attend conferences and keep up with

continuing education in their field (Agha). Surgeons can also watch videos of complicated

surgeries and keep in close touch with other medical professionals to make sure they are as up-

to-date as possible in their area of specialty. In order to avoid risks, the surgeon has to inform the

patient of their risks and their health condition; they have to receive informed consent. Finally,

the hospital will have a team of lawyers to fight any complaints in court.

Lastly, many medical professionals in the United States need to be businessmen and

women before they are healers which is an issue. Dr. Agha commented on the culture of this

country to treat patients like customers. There is a great deal of economic pressure to see as

many patients as possible and to look at a medical practice only as a business and not a place of

healing (Agha). A surgeon can work for many years and then he or she could lose his or her

future if he or she makes a mistake; surgeons have to be very careful about the surgery,

medications, etc. in order to be safe.

Dr. Agha hopes that the culture of medicine in the United States would change to fight

this particular problem. He says individual doctors and surgeons can do their part to treat patients

with respect and not as numbers. It is easier to do this, of course, if a surgeon or physician has

their own practice and does not work for a big hospital chain.

In conclusion, the profession of surgeon requires a lot of focus. It is an incredibly

demanding and rigorous profession that is equally rewarding. Those considering becoming a

surgeon should be mindful of the very long hours, complicated patient needs and should beware
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of treating patients like customers. It is important to work well with other medical professionals

in the practice or hospital to combat the problem of extremely long hours and figure out

complicated diagnoses or procedures.

Accordingly, surgeons can learn from others’ experiences about what problems they may

face. They must treat their patients with respect and listen carefully to them so that they won’t

feel like a customer or statistic. The job involves a great deal of patience, metal skills, and

physical strength. Saving someone’s life is the ultimate goal, and this is also my dream.
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Works Cited

Agha, Samer Diab. Personal interview. 17 April 2019.

Field, Shelly. "Surgeon." Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.

fcg.infobase.com/recordurl.asp?aid=103872&id=292847.

“Physicians & Surgeons.” DataUSA, datausa.io/profile/soc/291060/. Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.

Shaikh, Ibrahim. Abu al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi the Great Surgeon. Muslim Heritage.

muslimheritage.com/article/abu-al-qasim-al-zahrawi-great-surgeon. Accessed 17 Apr.

2019.

“Surgeons.” My Next Move, National Center for O*NET Development,

www.mynextmove.org/profile/summary/29-1067.00. Accessed 17 Apr. 2019.