Surgeons are doctors who specialize in operating on the human body to treat illnesses and injuries. They are among the best educated and paid professionals in Italy and probably in the world, which makes surgery a very desirable profession. As the world population continues to increase, there will always be a greater need for surgeons and other medical specialists. However, it is important to remember that becoming a surgeon requires a lot of effort and hard work. Read this article to find out more.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Becoming a Surgeon
Step 1. After taking and passing the baccalaureate exam, you will need to enroll in a Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
To gain access to this coveted degree program, however, you must first pass a very strict admission test. The exam generally includes 60 cross-questions of general knowledge and subjects such as Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.
- You can prepare yourself at home using the many manuals on the market, or sign up for a preparation course offered by a private institution.
- Due to the large number of competitors and the limited number of places, the admission test is very difficult to pass. If you are not admitted, however, you can always retry the next session.
- To have a better chance of passing the admission test, it is important to have a good high school diploma and a respectable academic background. In fact, in addition to the general knowledge test, these aspects will also influence your score. If you are planning to become a doctor, take your education seriously since high school.
Step 2. Get a degree
If you have managed to gain access to a Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, congratulations. The degree course in Medicine and Surgery has an average duration of six years, during which you will have to face very demanding schedules and you will have to study, pass your exams, work in the laboratory and gain internship experience.
Step 3. Take an internship
During your studies, one of the most important moments will be that of the internship. All universities provide for months of internship, even if with different durations, deadlines and methods. Unlike the exercises, the internships take place directly in the ward, in contact with the patients. You will work under the supervision of more experienced doctors.
Internship programs are very useful for putting into practice the theoretical notions learned. They focus on different specialist areas, such as Anesthesiology, Emergency Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Psychiatry, Preventive Medicine, Urology etc
Step 4. Once you have passed all the exams and completed the internship, you will have to write a thesis and discuss it in front of the commission
Once you have overcome this last obstacle, you will be in possession of a degree as a general practitioner.
- At this point you can choose to further specialize with a master's degree course.
- Before you can enroll in a master's degree, you need to pass a state exam.
Step 5. Pass the state exam
The State Examination for Licensing to Practice as a Doctor consists of three months of compulsory internship and a final test.
- On the website of the Ministry of the Interior it is possible to find various questions to practice for the final written test.
- There are typically two sessions per year, one in spring / summer and one in autumn / winter.
Step 6. By passing the state exam for the practice of the profession, you will be able to enroll in a faculty of specialization
This course of study will also be very demanding but, unlike the course in Medicine and Surgery, you get paid: the trainee is in fact a full-fledged general practitioner, who provides his service in the hospital, in contact with the sick, to specialize in a particular sector.
- Specialist degree courses are also very selective and require passing an admission test.
- At the end of each year of specialization it is necessary to pass an exam to gain access to the next year.
Part 2 of 2: Choosing a Field of Specialization
Step 1. Choose what kind of surgeon you want to become
You can rely on the experience gained over the years of your medical degree to choose the specialist area that is most congenial to you. A surgeon has very different fields of work available to him. Here are some examples of surgical specialist areas that may help you find the right sector for you:
- Cardiac surgery: deals with the care of the heart and the cardiovascular system, performing surgical operations for various diseases, such as arteriosclerosis and congenital heart diseases.
- General surgery: focuses on the abdominal area, focusing on diseases of the appendix, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and much more.
- Orthopedic surgery: deals with surgical operations on diseases affecting the muscles and skeleton, which therefore affect bones, joints and ligaments, such as spinal problems, sports injuries, trauma and bone tumors.
- Neurosurgery: focuses on the surgical treatment of neurological diseases, i.e. operations on the brain, spine and nerves.
Advice
- Given the length of your studies, studying medicine at university can be very expensive. If you are a deserving student, you can always inquire about the conditions necessary to obtain a scholarship.
- In addition to in-depth knowledge and technical skills, to be a good surgeon you need to have excellent communication skills, a strong attention to detail, excellent manual skills and a good dose of empathy.
