Pediatric Surgery Information and Interviews
Keith E. Georgeson, M.D.
University of Alabama at Birmingham - Director of the Division of Pediatric Surgery and Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
The Children's Hospital of Alabama (Birmingham) - Surgeon-in-Chief
University of Alabama Hospital (Birmingham) - Attending surgeon
http://pedsurg.surgery.uab.edu/keg.htm
http://www.health.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=18202
How many years has it been since you finished your Pediatric Surgery Fellowship? Out of the 8766 hours in an average year, about how many hours do you usually work now? About what percent of that time is spent: in the operating room? in the management of inpatients? in a clinic? on research pursuits? on other scholarly pursuits (i.e. reading, writing, conferences, lectures)? on administrative duties?
Years since Fellowship: 25
Total hours/year worked now: 60hr/wk
% in OR: 50%
% in inpatient management: 10%
% in clinic: 10%
% in research: 10%
% in other scholarly pursuits: 10%
% in administrative duties: 10%
Please describe the volume and distribution of the types of cases you see as a Pediatric Surgeon.
800 cases per year. The spectrum of Pediatric Surgery.
Describe specifics about your involvement-from beginning to end-in any single real example of one of your bread-and-butter cases.
Pyloromyotomy - from diagnosis to laparoscopic Pyloromyotomy to follow-up for 2 weeks.
Describe specifics about your involvement in one of the most interesting cases you've followed.
A right Pneumonectomy for inflammatory pseudotumor of the lung. The resection required cardiopulmonary bypass.
What are the eight diseases/conditions/injuries that you most wish every medical student interested in Pediatric Surgery would know well? Picking (and specifying) any one of those absolutely at random, what are the eight to ten parts of its: epidemiology, natural history, diagnosis, management, complications, or prognosis that you most wish every medical student interested in Pediatric Surgery would know?
TEF, Pyloric Stenosis, Diaphragmatic Hernia, Gastroschisis, Appendicitis, Hirschsprung's disease, Imperforate Anus, Wilm's Tumor and Neuroblastoma.
What do you believe have been the most important developments in Pediatric Surgery over the last 25 years?
Better intraoperative and post-operative care, EMCO, and minimally invasive surgery.
How do you keep abreast of the latest developments in Pediatric Surgery? (i.e. What journals do you read regularly? What conferences do you attend regularly?)
Journal of Pediatric Surgery, Pediatric Surgery International, AAP, and APSA.
What are some of the hottest areas of research in Pediatric Surgery today?
Lung development, minimally invasive surgery, stem cell organ formation.
What do you foresee being the most important trends in Pediatric Surgery over the next 25 years?
Less & less invasive surgery.
What was your undergraduate major?
Religion.
What is one personal or professional thing you know now, but didn't know as a medical student, that-in retrospect-you wish you had known back then?
Put your family first.
Do you have any suggestions or advice for medical students considering a career in Pediatric Surgery?
It is a calling. Let your heart decide for you.
Why did you choose Surgery as a specialty? Why did you choose Pediatric Surgery as a subspecialty? Why would you-or why wouldn't you-choose them again?
Surgery fits my personality. Pediatric Surgery fits my heart. Pediatric Surgery is more exciting every year.
What was a time when you questioned whether specialization in Surgery or subspecialization in Pediatric Surgery would be right for you, and what led you to conclude after all that it would be?
I fell into it by accident.
What should medical students look for in a Residency program if they are considering a career in Pediatric Surgery?
In general surgery: an academic program - develop related research interests.
What will Residency programs that fulfill those criteria be looking for in a medical student?
Focus, good grades, team builder and player.
What is your favorite question to ask interviewees for your Residency program (if applicable), and how should students prepare for a Surgery Residency interview in the week before the interview?
Why do you want to be a surgeon? You should have a thoughtful and honest answer.
What was your life like as a Resident? What was it like as a Fellow?
Long Hours, Family deprivation. Same as a fellow.
Please share any particular memories from your days as a Resident or Fellow that you would like to share.
Too far in the past to remember well.
Better diagnostics and therapeutics aside, how are Residency and Fellowship programs different today than they were when you went through them (if applicable)?
Attendings are more respectful of residents today.
Besides a Surgical Residency and a Fellowship in Pediatric Surgery, what other formal training would most benefit aspiring Pediatric Surgeons today?
Intensive care training, training in clinical or basic science research.
How did you cultivate your skills as a Pediatric Surgeon outside of the Operating Room?
Practiced knot tying, minimally invasive trainer.
What makes your hospital's Surgery Residency program special (if applicable)? What makes your hospital's Pediatric Surgery Fellowship program special (if applicable)?
Broad spectrum of cases; residents respected and appreciated. Excellent attending staff with varied interests.
Throughout your training, what has been the hardest thing to deal with?
Lack of time for interests outside of surgery.
What has made you such an outstanding Pediatric Surgeon?
I love what I do. I focus on 4 or 5 areas in which I can make a difference. I am surrounded by high quality people.
What are now the five most rewarding parts of your life?
My wife, my children. The realization that I make a difference in children's lives. International pediatric surgical friends. Contributions I've made in endoscopic surgery and cholestatic jaundice in children.
What are your interests within Pediatric Surgery?
Minimally invasive surgery
GI surgery
Hirschsprung's disease, cholestatic jaundice
What are some of your interests outside of medicine?
Water skiing, snow skiing, reading books, national politics.
For you, what have been the biggest drawbacks to life as a Pediatric Surgeon or surgeon in-training?
Pediatric Surgery is very demanding of your time. However, the rewards are even greater.
If you would like to share how you overcame obstacles/pressures/uncomfortable situations you may have faced in becoming or practicing as a surgeon as a result of your personal identities or values (gender, racial/ethnic, religious, sexual, economic, geographic, etc.), please feel free to do so here even if you have already done so elsewhere.
Keep your focus on your ultimate goals. Persevere. Don't let small slights and misunderstanding deflect you from your course.