The Surgeon

You have to hand it to the surgeons, to have the guts to cut into someones flesh and tinker with their vital organs take something special.  You could call it guts, confidence or arrogance, but the job really would take nerves of steel.

However, the two biggest problems to look for with a surgeon are arrogance and complacency.  Unfortunately, given the nature of the type of person that is attracted to becoming a surgeon these two character traits are extremely common.

Don't get me wrong, a small amount of arrogance can be a good thing.  It is a fine line between arrogance and confidence and you do not want a surgeon who isn't confident, second guesses everything he does and ends up mucking up your surgery.  Alternatively, you don't want a doctor doing surgeries that they are not competent doing because they think they can.

Some of this can be up to you.  Whatever doctor you need you should always do your research, and make sure they are not just a competent specialist, but competent in doing the surgery you are having.  For example, I heard from an extremely reliable source in the medical fraternity that any orthopedic surgeon can perform hand surgery, but hand surgery is almost a specialty within a specialty.  So make sure you get an orthopedic surgeon who specialises in hand surgery.

However, there is no room for complacency whatever!  Whether you are having a triple heart bypass or a mole removed your doctor needs to be thorough and cross all the T's and dot the I's.  If you think that your doctor is complacent, get another one.  I have been a victim of this before but that is a story for another time.

Aside from looking for a surgeon who is not arrogant or complacent it is a good idea to look for someone who is old enough to be experienced but young enough to still have a sharp eye (late 30's to early 50's).  Also check their credentials and do your research.  Most important is to have a good gut feel for the surgeon.  The last thing you want is to go under anaesthetic feeling nervous about your surgeon.  You will be under enough stress without having to worry about that.

One last thing I like to do just before surgery is to look my surgeon in the eyes and make sure his head is in the game.  So far I haven't had a problem, but for my own piece of mind I like to do it.  Always remember you are well within your rights to ask for a second opinion or change your surgeon.  Next blog I will give a specific example of a mistake I have made with a doctor. Until then stay well:)