What Is The Hardest Thing About Being A Surgeon?
What Is The Hardest
Thing About Being A
Surgeon?
A friend and I were working on our sourdough starters (FroDough and Sandstorm Starter) recently. He turned to me and asked: “What’s the hardest thing about being a surgeon?”
Great question. I’ve thought a lot about the challenges of surgery and the challenges of being a surgeon in the military. But the single hardest part…
Complications
When something goes wrong, whether it be days, weeks, or months after surgery, it hits me like a bus.
Two quotes I’ve carried with me through 12 years of medicine:
“The only thing that ruins great surgery is follow-up.”
“If you operate enough, complications will happen.”
Why It’s Hard
I consider my patients family. When outcomes aren’t what I anticipated, it cuts deep.
My first year as an attending (2020) was brutal. I was on my own. Captain of the ship. No one else to turn to when things didn’t go my way. I slept less that year than I did during residency. After a complication, I’d stay up for nights replaying every detail, calling mentors, digging through literature, convinced it was something I did wrong.
My mentors would chuckle and tell me: “Meg, this happens to all of us.” But I couldn’t accept that. I thought there always had to be something I missed.
How I’ve Changed
That first year taught me an important lesson:
It’s good to be hard on yourself and strive for perfection. But there has to be room for grace. Some complications simply happen, even when the surgery is technically flawless. Accepting that has been a huge weight off my shoulders.
Final Thoughts
Complications will always hurt. They should. But sleepless nights don’t help anyone. Now, I focus on learning from every case, improving where I can, and letting go when it truly wasn’t my fault.
And if you’ve ever been in my operating room, you know my motto:
“A- minus.”
Because no matter how good it looks or how flawless surgery went, there’s always room for improvement.Let’s get one thing straight:
____
Dr. Megan Lisset Jimenez
Connect with Me
Let’s keep the conversation going:
📱 Instagram: @dr.meganjimenez
📘 Facebook: Megan Jimenez, DO
💼 LinkedIn: Megan Jimenez, DO
