Orthopedic Surgeon Essay

Orthopedic Surgeon Of all of the many different life changing career choices, the career of an Orthopedic Surgeon is a most esteemed one. This job requires a series of prerequisite skills, and also years of education. The job itself has many perks like the salary and some downfalls like the long hours of work required. Work can be found in a variety of places like hospitals or a private practice. Pay also differs from workplace to workplace but is very generous. The career also can expand into one owning his or her private practice. After one has fulfilled their career, retirement can help them ease through the rest of their life. The job of an Orthopedic Surgeon takes many years to reach but is also promising with many perks and benefits
that out way the downfalls many times over. An Orthopedic Surgeon is a surgeon that specializes in the musculoskeletal system (Orthopedic Surgeon job description). They treat a variety of patients who have problems with bones and a wide range of diseases and infections (Job Description). The doctors do not always just operate, they usually will consult with a patient before surgery to gain information that they may need and to build a relationship with the client. Doctors of Orthopedic medicine also can prescribe medication to clients and diagnose certain aliments of the body. Doctors also have the ability to perform tests on patients like x-rays or MRIs (Job Description). The job of an orthopedic surgeon is one with a wide range of options, but it is reached through a long series of education. Being an Orthopedic Surgeon is a challenging task as one must go through rigorous training and many years of education. To first engage this career one must have completed secondary school to enter into college. Once in college it is required that one must complete at the minimum, three years to be eligible to gain entrance to Medical school. After this series of education is behind one, the main focus is the MCAT, Medical College Administration Test. As this book states many different factors are taken into consideration when inquiring about admitting one into Medical School, “Selection Criteria includes the scores of the exams, college grades, and letters of recommendation, interviews, and participation in extracurricular activities” (Career Opportunities in Heath Care 19). Medical School takes four years to complete. There are also numerous college institutions that include a medical school program in which one could only go to school for six years instead of the normal seven. While still in Medical School one must then pass an exam given by National Board of Medical Examiners. After this series of education one must go through graduate medical school or what is most commonly referred to as a residency. A residency is an internship that is completed after three years. After one is certified as a surgeon one then has to take a second test to be certified as an orthopedic surgeon. Even though this education process is lengthy, being an orthopedic surgeon is its own reward. Even though education is very important and essential in becoming a surgeon, it is also important that one has a certain set of skills.
One skill that is mandatory to have is good dexterity, orthopedic surgeons especially have to have good hand control because they are usually placed in sensitive situations. Communicational skills are also a big plus, if one cannot communicate with patients he or she will not be able to gain a large clientele which can lead to the advancement prospect of owning a private practice. Quick thinking and decisiveness is an essential trait as explained in this sentence, “Surgeons may be dealing with life-and-death situations and therefore should have excellent judgment and the ability to work under stress And pressure” (Career Opportunities in Health Care 19).Control of one’s emotions is also important, when one is a surgeon one has to expect to sometimes lose a patient whether it be due to his or her fault or another’s. If one does not have emotional stability it could hurt relations with clients. Compassion is not required but a big plus. If one can lend their heart to a family in need of consolation it could boost one’s clientele. With all of these skills woven together with prior education one could find themselves a considerable candidate for a
job. Even though one might have a certain set of skills and the required education, one still needs to be employed. Employment can come in a variety of places including hospitals, private practices and others. Salaries usually differ from job to job but will usually top at about 400,000 dollars. Some situations are exempt from that cap but salary also differs in the level of education that one has and the position one holds. Work days of an orthopedic surgeon can usually last a long period of time as Spotlight Interview says,” Orthopedic Surgery is no place for individuals looking for a structured 8 to 5 job. Attending’s often work harder than residents. First and foremost, the patient comes first and your day ends when the work is done.” Some surgeons are even on call for some times of the night (Spotlight Interview). Work as an orthopedic surgeon is quite rocky in the beginning stages but in the end starts to pay off with the possibility of one owning his or her private practice. The Advancement prospects of orthopedic surgery are ones to be taken in joyfully. It is projected that the Job Market for orthopedic surgery will increase by 18% in 2022 (Orthopedic Job Description). While the job market increase is a major benefit, owning a private practice can help one increase their already bountiful salary by a large sum. Owning a practice as a surgeon is one of the best things that one can due according to Laura Dydra:
One of the biggest advantages of maintaining a private practice is the autonomy physician’s claim over their business. They can make decisions based on care instead of hospital policy, and they can change processes more quickly because they are smaller than hospitals.
She explains further that revenue is increased by owing a private practice:
Another key aspect of working in private practice is the motivation to increase revenue by taking more cases. Surgeons employed by hospitals receive the same amount regardless of whether they perform more or fewer than their target, with little incentive to go beyond their goals.
There are few downfalls to owning a private practice, and the ones that are there are greatly out-weight by the benefits. After one has advanced to this level another factor starts to enter into the picture, retirement. Retirement is a very important part of one’s life as a career is ending. One may not have another opportunity to work so the pension that one receives could be very beneficial in one’s life. Retirement for an orthopedic surgeon is a very complicated process. If one does their retirement correctly one may find themselves with a large sum of money, but if one waits for the opportunity to pass them by it could be too late. AAOS.com portrays retirement as a very important thing but one that must be planned early:
For example, to retire at age 65 with $120,000 per year (in today’s dollars) for living expenses, a 35-year-old orthopedic surgeon must save $40,000 a year (assuming tax-sheltered investments, an 8 percent annual return, and a 3 percent annual inflation rate).
By the time the surgeon is age 42, meeting the same goal would require an annual contribution of $60,505. Wait until age 50, and the annual set-aside rises to $107,118 per year.
So retirement for an orthopedic surgeon is a very good thing just as long as one prepares like AAOS.com says,” Plan your retirement as you plan your surgeries- ahead of time.” The job of an Orthopedic Surgeon takes many years to reach but is also promising with many perks and benefits that out way the downfalls many times over.
Being an orthopedic surgeon does take many years of time going through education. Even after one has gone through the required years of study, a certain onset of skills like compassion and decisiveness may prove just as handy as a textbook. When one has prepared themselves one can finally have a job. This particular job pays greatly but consists of numerous hours of work. Advancement prospects of the field are great as the job market is to increase in the upcoming years. Retirement is quite a process and can be either rewarding or dooming if one does not plan accordingly. Overall the job of an orthopedic surgeon proves to be a job that is reachable and can be rewarding with the right
attitude.