Smaller Centre Surgeon

[Guest CaesarCornelius]

Hey

 

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with surgeons in smaller centres. I am currently an ophtho-gunner, but I am trying to keep my mind open (Currently ranging from Pediatric Neurology to hematology (imagine that)), but I am finding it difficult to weigh in all of the different options.

 

For example, I did a gen surg elective in my first year and my preceptor told me that he has 1day per week of surgery. He said that its better in a smaller centre because there is more O.R. time, and that you can pick and choose which days you want to operate...

 

First of all, is a smaller centre surgeon likely to have a more intense schedule, equally so, or less?

 

I am also concerned that the quality of the facilities will be poor in smaller centres. Is this a big concern?

 

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

CC

[Guest UWOMED2005]

I worked with the general surgeon in Renfrew (pop 15,000.) Great guy, and phenomenally interesting career. He's in the OR almost everyday - in fact, as he's the only surgeon there he can operate whenever he wants. He dealt with everything - from caesarians to APRs to some trauma (in an absolute emergency.)

 

Small rural hospitals are finding it tough to get surgeons. There's now almost enough GP-anaesthetists, the issue is surgeons.

 

The one done side was call. . . this guy was ALWAYS on call. But that was a choice rather than being forced on him.

[Guest ploughboy]

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Not yet in meds, and certainly not a surgery gunner, but a couple of factoids for you...

 

1) I heard on the radio yesterday that the hospital in Seaforth (pop 2000) has two "state-of-the-art"* ORs that are sitting unused because they don't have surgeons to work in them (and meanwhile, there are waiting lists down the road in Stratford).

 

2) My cousin's ex-wife is a charge nurse at the hospital in Markdale (pop 1400). Every time I see her she starts rabbiting on about their building program, and how wonderful their new ORs will be.

 

I don't have the background to judge the quality of the facilities at those particular hospitals, but by extrapolating I'd imagine that if you chose your small centre carefully, you could wind up with a decent/excellent working environment and the ablity to operate as much as you wanted to.

 

Cheers,

 

pb

 

 

* CKNX's words, not mine

 

 

(edited: my Ontario bias was showing - town populations added for context)

 

 

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[Guest therealcrackers]

A lot of the surgeons in the Western catchment area have access to smaller centre ORs (like Seaforth, Clinton, Goderich, etc.) I spent a week in Clinton at the end of first year, and one morning was devoted to cataract surgery. I watched for a while, but the ophthalmologist did 10 cataracts in about 3 1/2 hours and probably billed about $4000 for it. If you can find a smaller centre that makes OR time available to surgical specialties like ophtho, investigate! If I remember, you're at Dal, Caesar... (my apologies if I got it wrong) a centre like Wolfville or Antigonish might have a community OR...