Pre-Med Student Experience watching Kyphosis Surgery Last week

On Thursday I had the privilege of shadowing Dr. Hey’s surgery on a 40 year old kyphosis patient.  As a pre-med student at NC State I was shocked to receive such an opportunity. My dream is to become a surgeon, and it is not often that a physician is patient enough to take an undergraduate student under their wing.  During the procedure I observed, Dr. Hey fused the abnormally curved area of the patient’s spine using titanium rods and screws.  I was amazed by the procedure, and being able to experience such an incredible thing first-hand has really changed my perceptions about my future.  
            Going into the surgery I had all but ruled out orthopedics as a career choice.  I was also beginning to question whether my lifelong dreams of going into the medical field were worth the cost of pursuing them. However, when I stepped into the operating room I realized two things that settled any and all doubts that I had about my career.  First, I began to comprehend how vastly this operation would improve the patient’s life.  I also recognized to a new degree how fascinatingly intricate the human body is.  Orthopedic medicine has a much greater impact on a patient than I had imagined, and the improvements that can be made in the quality of life have led me to consider this field much more intently.
            I would like to sincerely thank the patient and her family for allowing me to observe this surgery, because I ultimately could not have had this experience to learn and grow without their help. It was an honor to be able to witness this procedure, and I hope that the improvement in the patient’s life is as great as the difference this experience has made in mine.



-------------
LLOYD A HEY, MD MS
HEY CLINIC FOR SCOLIOSIS AND SPINE SURGERY
RALEIGH NC USA
HTTP://WWW.HEYCLINIC.COM
MEMBER, SCOLIOSIS RESEARCH SOCIETY (SRS)
HTTP://WWW.SRS.ORG