Talent Or Job
I walked down the
familiar halls of the operating room complex, unperturbed by the rush of activity even at that
early hour of the morning. As expected, it was going to be another busy day. As I stepped into
the operating theatre assigned to me, the sign plastered on the door caught my attention. The
words inscribed on the small-sized poster had been printed using the first generation of
computer printers. It must have hung on that door for quite a number of years before I came to
the hospital. Mindlessly, I have passed by it countless of times; I have read it a handful of
times; and yet, it was only at that moment that the words really seized me. I was about to
finish my fifteen years of University education with six years of surgical training. The sign
read, "Plastic Surgery: it's not just a job, it's a talent."
Most - if not all -
of us who decide to join the Department of Surgery of the State University have our individual
academic merits to support our claim to excellence. Despite that, in the surgical world where
skills and academic proficiency can be mutually exclusive, nobody at the outset of his training
can really predict his fate as a physician with the knife. I can clearly remember a good friend
and comrade who, in a moment of self-doubt and anguish, ushered me to a corner and asked my
opinion of his surgical skills. His academic stature was undoubtedly beyond question. Yet, there
is always that lingering issue of the "hands following the mind," so to speak. Meaning, can the
hands be taught to execute the knowledge that is in our mind? And if so, to what extent and
degree? Such a show of vulnerability that my friend manifested, every neophyte surgeon can
identify with, including myself, of course. Only through time and experience will self-awareness
be known.
Plastic Surgery is
of special interest. It is a field where, literally speaking, results speak for themselves.
Nobody can hide a graft loss or a failed flap. An uneven eyelid or a twisted jaw is obvious. It
is a surgical specialty where even the last few millimeters of correction can be vividly
apparent and subsequently criticized. And what's more, patient expectations are exceedingly
high. Thus, it is not just a job! But who is fortunate enough to have the talent to do the job?
In the practice of Plastic Surgery, as in the arts or sports, when you are not at your best, you
are nobody. Consider, for instance, those who play the piano or those who fight boxing. There
are pianists who perform at the Cultural Center while there are those who play at some bar
downtown. There are people who take boxing as a sport, and yet only a very few are able to join
the world championships. In these endeavors, the disparity between the excellent and the
mediocre is so wide. No category or class ever falls in between. So is it true with Plastic
Surgery. Plastic surgeons cannot settle for anything less than the very best. In contrast,
college professors, internists, or general surgeons (no offense please) - even in cases where
they may be only merely capable - will still be able to lead a fulfilled professional life based
on the outcome and expectation of their work.
What if, after all
those grueling years of training, we realized that we didn't have the talent? Shall we simply be
resigned to the fact that we are a living tragedy? Without exception, all Plastic Surgery
graduates contend with this question despite having been accepted and trained at a reputable
institution. Perhaps they can persevere to address this issue and learn to improve themselves.
Others have reinvented themselves and have compensated for whatever weaknesses they have
realized along the way. This is the most honorable thing to do. Besides, excellent
decision-making on the part of an intelligent and prudent surgeon is still essential and is
oftentimes preferable to one who simply has the skill in wielding the knife. As my mentor would
say, "The most splendid result of a plastic procedure is a premium of two things: proper
planning (having a full grasp of the problem coupled with full armamentarium of knowledge) and
precise execution (talent!)."
Hence, we all desire to have both the knowledge and the skill - in equal, robust proportion.
Whatever inherent limitations come our way can be remedied by adequate training and a positive
attitude. No graduate is gratuitously condemned into the oblivious state of mediocrity. Still,
however, while others are doing the job, some of us are simply performing our talent! |