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The job shadow opportunity with Dr. Tucker at Salem Plastic Surgery was a great and eye-opening experience. I have never thought about plastic surgery as a career choice for me in medicine, but this experience has convinced me otherwise. Shadowing Dr. Tucker was great because he was able to explain how he got to this position from his college career. In order to prepare for the shadowing opportunity, I prepared a list of questions to ask him. I asked him why he choose plastic surgery, what gap year opportunity he decided to take, and how his experience in medical school was. I also asked him about the typical schedule he had during the week and how he collaborated with other doctors in his office.The location I went to was in a residential area. Dr. Tucker has his own practice, and he works with another doctor in the office. His practice typically does small facial and skin procedures while the patients visit Dr. Tucker. If they require a larger procedure such as breast augmentations or a breast reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy, he while go schedule them at the Baptist Hospital where he will perform the surgery. He will also see patients for an initial visit at this office to hear their requests on what he would like them to do to their body.The shadowing opportunity taught me so much. I learned a lot about a field of medicine I had not originally considered. The experience also allowed me to talk to patients while Dr. Tucker was preparing chemicals to use for the procedure. Here, I was able to refine my communication skills by talking to patients and listening to their stories. I also learned that a strong knowledge of chemistry is needed for this job since the chemicals used in procedures need to be prepared well. Dr. Tucker and I had an opportunity to talk one-on-one during lunch. He advised me on taking a gap year like he did. He spent a year between college and medical school doing research on prosthetic organs. He took some of the knowledge and interests that grew from this experience and applied them to his future career in plastic surgery. He, like myself, wanted to be an emergency physician but realized that it was a hectic job. He wanted to have a family and wanted to enjoy his life without too much worry with a busy schedule, so he felt that emergency medicine was not a field for him.After shadowing with Dr. Tucker, I think plastic surgery is an option to explore further. I want to see him do surgery at the hospital because I want to know more about his work conditions at the hospital. I was only able to see how he interacted with patients at his office, so it would be interesting to see the patient-doctor relationship in a hospital setting. This experience reaffirmed my interests in medicine. After seeing patients that lost their confidence in themselves due to their appearance, Dr. Tucker said it was refreshing to see them so happy after he treated them. This sentiment is the reason I value medical care for patients; you are doing one of the biggest services to them by providing them confidence and happiness through healthcare.The most professionally and personally valuable part of this experience was Dr. Tucker’s advice on different healthcare fields. He told me to really consider if emergency physician is the healthcare profession I want if I am considering having a family. He said that some of the most troubling parts of ER medicine was that it was tough being there for you spouse and kids if something were to happen due to your hectic schedule. I took his words seriously and will be thinking about them as I continue exploring other healthcare related fields. ................
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