Sorry to gripe, but I gotta unload. General surgeons, for the most part, are a-holes. I've been with a surgeon for the last month.
- Dude cusses at his OR staff because he's impatient.
- Rips on me for being incompetent in front of nurses.
- I'm not allowed to forget any details, no matter how obscure, because otherwise I'm not paying attention.
- Keeps me so busy I didn't get time for lunch/dinner, then yells at me for not practicing suturing because I have the shakes.
- I do 16 hour shifts (he does only 12-13) and then get shat on for not reading up on a patient's possible gallbladder cancer that he was already ruling out. I guess getting 4 hours should be enough sleep everyday to learn and perform at 100%.
- I'm supposed to remember 10 steps of a procedure and reproduce them exactly as he did them, otherwise I'm not paying attention.
- I'm supposed to know how much force I'm supposed to ram instruments into his hand during surgery, because you know, I'm supposed to know the minor details of a scrub tech's job too. I'm also supposed to sit there and take it as he repeatedly slaps instruments into my hand making it sting while he makes sure I understand.
- I'm a terrible student if I miss something in his care note two days in a row and end up missing the correct diagnosis. I really need to question if I'm fit to treat patients. Yet he supposedly reads my notes every day and it's okay for him as a teacher to let me fail two days in a row.
- Studying for a board exam that I'm required to pass (and paid $1300 to take) should not be cutting in on any of my study time that he apparently now controls. I must study only things for his patients because I should already know what I need to for the board exam.
- I don't take criticism well because he tells me I suck at presenting a patient history in front of 3 nurses. Nevermind that 2 months of internal medicine never gave me that critique and in fact have told me "good job" after my presentations. But apparently "they" don't teach us how to present.
- I'm probably a dumbass judging by the way he raises his voice for taking 2 seconds for it to register that his mumbling to hold something was meant for me, even though he addressed nobody by name and I have 2 hands full.
- Doesn't matter if I haven't seen my kids in 2-3 days and want to spend an hour with them. I'm not reading enough.
- I should clearly remember absolutely everything from 1st and 2nd year. I should just know it. All of it. Good board score saying I remember more than most other medical students? Doesn't matter.
The OR staff kisses his *** and acts like he's the coolest guy around and has the most hilarious stories. He still yells at everybody for not doing everything perfect and I constantly get that exasperated eye contact, eye rolling, and head shaking when he's not looking. As soon as he leaves the room, they do nothing but talk about how much of a jerk he is, how all the surgeons are terrible people, and how he's the worst. Despite how good his bedside manner (which admittedly is really good), I can't imagine people would want him working on them if they knew the amount of tension he creates in the OR. I mean, would you want some dude playing origami with your intestines when you know he's raging and his support staff is distracted by how much of a d-bag he and possibly missing a bleeder not in the doctor's view?
In my adult life, I've never been talked to like this and not socked them in their friggin jaw for it. I get so mad during surgeries I'm literally shaking. It is taking about all of my strength not to mouth off when he's raising his voice at me. I honestly don't care how things were when he was a student and a resident. I'm paying over $40k in tuition fees a year and quite honestly I'm entitled (there, I said it) to be treated professionally. He does not have to take students, so if he cannot treat students with respect and patience, he needs to take a break from teaching service until he can.
Tomorrow is my last day with this butthole. I have permission from the director of medical school education to leave at the close of the business day so that I have enough time to prepare for my 10+ hour drive the next day to take my board exam the day after. I already know he's going to blow a gasket for presuming to leave before being dismissed at 9-10pm.