Trauma surgery is the surgery done after a traumatic injury (surprise!). Broadly, their responsibilities lie in bringing a patient back to life or stabilizing their condition and then dealing with traumatic injuries surgically.
Trauma surgery, much like general, is unique in the surgical specialties where it deals with many parts of the body. Compare this to neurosurgery or cardiovascular, which focuses on specific organs and areas, trauma surgery looks at injuries in the neck, chest, abdomen, and more.
Naturally, trauma surgeons often deal with patients who have suffered a significant injury, such as blunt or penetrating trauma (car crashes/falls to gunshot/stab wounds) or burns and need surgery. Read more about specific procedures here. A vital skill on the job is to deal with these stressful situations, where there is a lack of information and imminence to decide to save a life. Trauma surgeons are in charge of prioritizing: addressing the most fatal injury and moving down the list.
However, another unique thing is that they often use both operative and nonoperative methods. Trauma surgeons decide whether the patient needs to undergo emergency surgery or can be healed through non-operative measures. Often, an incoming patient is looked at by both an ER doctor & trauma surgeon. Once admitted, however, the surgeon looks after the treatment, from admittance to discharge, and designing the treatment plan.
Pathway to Become
To become a trauma surgeon in the US, you must complete an undergraduate degree, medical school, and a general surgery residency, followed by a fellowship where you focus on trauma. This process can take 13-15 years, depending on your residency and fellowship choice. As with any surgical specialty, it is a demanding career, but, arguably, one of the most rewarding. Read more about the pathway here.
Trauma surgery is often reputed for a poor work-life balance, however, this depends on your definition. Often, trauma surgeons work in teams, where work is divided among the group of surgeons. Because it deals with trauma, surgeons work on a shift-like schedule. To quote Dr. Stephanie Gordy, “When I’m on, I’m on. When I’m not here, my partners take care of whatever comes in”. Therefore, unlike most other surgical specialties, trauma surgeons are not on-call during their time off. Since their cases are usually solved with their surgery, they often don’t have to worry about any remission afterward, and if so, they have a partner at the hospital who can manage.
Those looking into trauma surgery can be further appealed by the fact that there is a shortage of trauma surgeons, as people entering the specialty have decreased in the past decade. However, the demand remains, with the field expected to grow about 4-6%.
Personal Take
Trauma surgery has become the field of my choice because of this hands-on approach to solving dire medical issues, that often lead to immediate results. Additionally, the work-life balance, in my opinion, is better because you have a team, and truly get time off. To me, trauma surgery is the right amount of demand mixed with meaningful and direct results.
Resources I used & where you can learn more:
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-trauma-surgeon
https://medschool.ucla.edu/blog-post/trauma-surgeons-vs-er-doctors-what-is-the-difference
https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/life-of-a-female-trauma-surgeon
https://blogs.bcm.edu/2019/03/19/life-as-a-trauma-surgeon-an-interview-with-dr-stephanie-gordy/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2276667
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physicians-and-surgeons.htm