I haven’t had much time or opportunity for original thought these days (I know, it’s sad), but here’s one I had today: When did we decide that surgery is more complex or difficult than primary care? We talked about this today in my public health class, and much of the discussion was sort of lighthearted devil’s advocate playing for the sake of being controversial, but let’s stop and think about this for a minute. There is a sentiment in medicine that the more specialized fields are somehow more difficult than primary care. Because, we reason, surgeons spend more time in training. Really? This is mostly just me being sassy, but I think that convincing someone to quit smoking is way more difficult than cutting them open and giving them a new heart. Have you ever tried to give anyone advice that they didn’t want to hear or convince them to change some ingrained habit? It’s hard. But maybe that’s just me. That said, I have tremendous respect for medicine, whatever the specialty, and I certainly recognize our need for surgeons. I also understand the appeal of surgery as a career, and let’s face it, the idea that you can cut someone open, sew in a new heart, and have them survive is pretty incredible. Primary care loving liberal as I am, I’ve been known to defend others’ right to choose whatever career they want for whatever reason they want, especially when it comes to medicine. I strongly believe that medicine should be as diverse as possible, and even though sometimes you might be made to think differently, you don’t have to be a saint to be a good doctor. For the sake of getting along, let’s just agree that we should all pursue whatever careers we find the most interesting and fulfilling. But think about it: a good primary care physician can make the heart transplant unnecessary by preventing the disease. 

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