Cara A. Cipriano, MD, MSc, FAAOS | Amiethab Aiyer, MD, FAAOS, FAOA
December 13, 2023
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Members of the Sounds From the Training Room Consortium will be giving readers a peek into their daily lives as busy surgeons. Here are some stories from a few members – stay tuned for more!
Learn more about the Consortium here.
Cara A. Cipriano, MD, MSc, FAAOS
As a chief resident, I had taken one of my precious weeks of vacation while on a rotation that will remain unnamed. On Monday, one of the tumor surgeons called me on the phone and said, “I’m trying to add a total femur replacement on for Wednesday but need a resident in order to get a second room. If you’re available to help, I’ll let you do the case.” I told him that I was on vacation – but as long as the unknown service never found out, I would love to do it. It was a deal. He came by several times to check on me during the case but didn’t even scrub. Some people will say that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. I am not one of those people. Many aspects of being an orthopedic surgeon are rewarding, but others can be tedious, frustrating, or exhausting; and many days work is work. And yet there are still days, like the one I was on vacation but chose to operate, when there is nothing I’d rather be doing than my job.
Amiethab Aiyer, MD, FAAOS, FAOA
Residency is definitely tumultuous, and I learned so much about orthopedics, about life, and about myself during that time. I definitely changed a lot during the course of residency, and I certainly think that it has helped me better care for my patients as a result of the trial and tribulations that I went through. All that being said, one of my most memorable experiences was at the tail end of residency in particular, where, on literally the week before a graduation, my co-residents and I all took call with each other, carrying the pager, covering the floors, and the operating room all in one fail swoop. Not only did we get to really run the orthopedic service that particular call session, but it allowed us to really capitalize on our skill sets, both in terms of working in the ER, completing various reduction maneuvers, and of course, above all else, operating together, while getting to showcase our various skill sets to one another. That is something that I will never forget as I look back at my training days.
DISCLOSURES: Dr. Cipriano KCI: Paid consultant, Link Orthopaedics: Paid consultant, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society: Board or committee member. Dr. Aiyer American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society: Board or committee member, Delee & Drez Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (Elsevier): Publishing royalties, financial or material support, Medline: Paid consultant, Medshape: Paid consultant, Miller’s Review of Orthopaedics (Elsevier): Publishing royalties, financial or material support.
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