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Tazia McAffee

Dr. Haslam

COMM. 1010

19 September 2019

Career Research

To start off, I did my interview with a pediatric surgeon named Ryan Leonard. I

originally got in contact with him through a recommendation from his wife, Mrs. Leonard. She

gave me his phone number and after that we stayed in contact through text message. I

interviewed him at the Granger Medical Clinic in West Jordan, UT. We chose to interview in

that place because that is where his office is located, and we both lived near that location. The

person I chose for my interview was a great choice I believe. This is because he has completed

all the training and steps overall to be a pediatric surgeon. Since I was to be a pediatric surgeon, I

will have to complete the same steps that he did. Therefore, he has good tips and study skills to

help me complete the journey. He was also a good resource because he could tell me his thoughts

on the advantages and disadvantages to this job, without the influence/pressure of reporters or

media.

I chose this career for myself because I have always been interested in the medical field.

This is because in the medical field you are directly saving lives everyday! (Plus the pay is

good)! In addition to that, I went to the National Youth Leadership Conference for Advanced

Medicine and Healthcare this summer. While I was there, I did a mock surgery on a cadaver and

realized that I definitely wanted to become a surgeon. I have also always loved kids and working

with them, so I knew I wanted to go into pediatrics as well. That’s how I came to the decision of

striving towards becoming a pediatric surgeon.

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The typical pay for a surgeon in Utah according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics is

roughly 255,110 dollars today (Physicians 1). However, this average pay is directed towards a

general surgeon, if one goes on to specialize in pediatrics, the yearly salary raises. There are

various other things that affect your salary as well. Such as, what hospital you work at, how long

you have worked there, how many years of residency you did, how high up you are (department

head), and etc.

The type of work I am investigating is the medical field and more specifically surgery.

There are a couple of basic things you need to know about surgery. The most basic, but the most

important thing to remember in surgery is you have to be as close to 100% sterile as you can, at

all times (Cohen 7). There are also various other things one has to do to be able to perform a

surgery. For example, one of those things is one has to be able to focus for long periods of time.

Often without the opportunity for food, drink, or bathroom breaks.

Every pediatrics’ surgeons daily tasks look different depending on their position in the

hospital. If one is chief of surgery, their daily tasks are going to consist of mostly paperwork,

budgets, and etc. If one is head of their department, they will be doing surgeries almost all day.

Especially the high stakes surgeries. If one is an average working surgeon, their day will most

likely consist of a mixture of surgeries and patient encounters. Lastly, If one is an early stage

surgical resident or intern, their day will be completely different. Surgeries are a reward if ones’

post operative and pre operative care was good. 80% of the time surgical residents and interns

will be handling patient encounters or helping out in the emergency room. When they do get to

go into the OR, they do not get to perform the surgery, mostly watch and assist (Zameer 19).

This career requires several years of education. The first step is getting a bachelor's

degree, this can be in science or in anything else as well. The next step is taking the mCAT to get
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into medical school. Then one goes to medical school for 4 years. After that, one finds a surgical

internship or residency to apply to. As Ryan Leonard stated, “The internet says 3-7 years of

residency but I’ve never heard of a surgical residency that is less than 5 years” (Leonard 1). If

one got a residency without an internship included, it would be 6 years right there. After one

graduated from their residency, they would then take the exam to get board certified. Then,

become a fellow somewhere and finally get hired as a part of the team. In total, there are 15

years of schooling required to become a pediatric surgeon.

There are certain qualities or characteristics that the bureau of labor statistics suggests

that a surgeon needs to have. Some of these qualities are communication skills, compassion,

detail-oriented, dexterity, leadership skills, organizational skills, patience, physical stamina, and

problem solving skills (Physician 1). While talking to patients, surgeons need to demonstrate

communication skills, compassion, patience, and leadership skills. This is because the surgeon

has to be able to talk to the parents and child effectively, show compassion towards sick kids,

show patience for questions and other things, and be able to take charge and tell others how to

help calm down frightened parents and etc. Some skills a surgeon would need specifically in

surgery would be being detail-oriented, having dexterity, having organizational skills, being able

to problem solve, and having physical stamina. One would have to be detail-oriented because

there is no such thing as close enough in surgery, everything has exact precise measurements.

One also has to be able to control a blade and other instruments while showing their physical

stamina in a long surgery. Having organizational skills is also a very big thing because one has to

be organized enough to keep things sterile and in their right spots. Last but not least, being able

to problem solve is one of the most important things. As a surgeon, one will have to think fast if
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something goes wrong or unplanned in surgery as well as having to diagnose patients quickly

and efficiently.

“Physicians and Surgeons : Occupational Outlook Handbook:” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-

surgeons.htm#tab-5.
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Cohen, Alan. Pediatric Neurosurgery: Tricks of the Trade. Thieme, 2016. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1074291&site=eds-live.

Zameer, M. M., et al., “Quality of Life of Indian Pediatric Surgeons: Results of a Survey (of

Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons Members).” Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric

Surgeons, vol. 22, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 19–22. EBSCOhost, doi:10.4103/0971-9261.194615.

Leonard, Ryan Personal interview. 11, September 2019