Thinking about...Orthopedics

Finishing my ortho rotation has made me think of 3 things: 1) how reckless I was when I broke my left wrist as a kid....not once, but twice!! (I now know that I had a Colles fracture of the distal radius with a classic "dinner fork" deformity). 2) It's given me an appreciation of the health that I and my family have, with relatively few broken bones between us all. And 3) how similar orthopedics is to woodworking with screws, plates and drills!

I had a really enjoyable rotation - but I know that the surgical field is not for me. I mean, in some ways working with my hands and having the dexterity to manipulate bones and tools is a whole new dimension of learning and is very cool. But I'm not sure I can stomach seeing all the blood, the cracking bones and trauma that one needs to be comfortable with day in, day out.