School Student
What's surgery like?
Matt White
Medical Student
My career until this point has taken a somewhat tortuous route through University. I entered a Sports Science and Physiology degree at 18 which I hugely enjoyed and which gave me a thorough grounding into higher education and demands of study. Lucky then that after a couple of years living in America coaching ‘soccer’ I returned to study a physiotherapy degree back in the UK. Well into this course my aspirations for medicine began to grow and I found myself questioning aspects of physiotherapy, which looking back were just my own attempts to justify another big career step.
I was accepted on the graduate entry course at Nottingham after completing the GAMSAT entrance exam and yet another set of interviews and just haven’t looked back. It was a tough route, but persistence paid off.
I was first exposed to surgery in my physiotherapy degree and had spent time in theatre observing operations which I was interested to know more about. This interest was reignited as soon as I started the course and as such I joined the student surgical society (SCRUBS) to get more involved and see some more of the action!
Three years later I am president of the Society which has exposed me to surgery immensely and I nip into theatre at every opportunity to see more operations in more specialties. It remains a daunting career choice, a competitive one, a hard working one and this puts many off. But I remain passionate and enthusiastic and as I’m applying for my Foundation post at present have made the choice to obtain surgical posts in my early training to help me make an informed career choice. After all, I’m 30 and a have a good few years on my undergraduate counterparts at the same stage of training, so it’s important to me I am serious about which career path I choose.
My top tips for those thinking of surgery as a career would be to; go into theatre and get involved as experience is vital and if your smiling at the end of a long list you’ll know you’re in the right place; talk to lower level trainees about their life and whether or not you could imagine yourself working similarly; and finally find someone who inspires you and stick close to them. I believe all careers in medicine to be demanding, surgery perhaps more so than others, but you will be rewarded lifelong if you do some groundwork now and make the right career choice early.
I have a busy social life, work part-time and have plenty of sporting interests, which is difficult to fit in as a student believe it or not! I’m sure I’ll have to continue to compromise as my career progresses as well. It is at points when I am questioning this commitment that I look to those surgeons who inspire me and without fail my motivation is buzzing again...
