Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features a conversation with Sarah Benson, a 2013 Van Buren High School graduate who is a General Surgery Resident at Trinity Health as she prepares for her career as a surgeon. Sarah shares about life as a surgery resident, how she almost decided to not become a doctor but is glad she persevered, how her life isn’t quite like what is seen on Grey’s Anatomy and other television shows, how struggle can be good, and much more. Anyone interested in a career as a doctor or surgeon will find information related to getting started down those paths in this episode. Enjoy the show!
1:40 - Life as a General Surgery Resident
2:56 - The teams and what it means to “Round” - meet to talk about each patient.
3:28 - Sarah originally thought she would be a sports reporter; science classes changed all of that.
4:47 - Hillsdale College - Biochemistry Major - great pre-med major
5:05 - Biology, Chemistry, Kinesiology - All potential majors for future doctors
5:34 - Ran track for all five years at Hillsdale
5:56 - Getting into medical school
6:23 - Attended medical school at the University of Toledo - in-state
7:26 - Starting a residency - “The Match”
7:45 - Trinity Health in Ann Arbor - a five-year residency
8:07 - Sarah’s program is a hybrid - no research required
8:20 - Fellowships are a step beyond residency - not required
9:55 - The types of surgeries Sarah does has a resident (and will do after her residency)
10:20 - The residency still provides opportunities to experience various types of medicine
10:55 - Becoming a small-town general surgeon = freedom to Sarah
12:00 - What Sarah wishes someone had told her about the medical field when she was in high school
12:22 - Respiratory Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Medical Case Manager, Physician’s Assistant, Nurse Practitioner - all cool medical careers in a hospital that don’t require 15 years of college.
13:30 - The most challenging aspect of being a general surgeon - surgery is VERY complex.
14:15 - Sarah has been the “first assist” for over 90 surgeries so far
15:15 - How realistic is Grey’s Anatomy?
16:08 - The most rewarding experience Sarah has had as a general surgeon resident
17:07 - “You can’t expect the right things to be easy.” - Embrace the challenge
18:02 - Sarah struggled in the first year of college, but she persevered to get to where she is today.
Questions?
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail (bbratt@vbschools.net).
Connect with Sarah at Sarah.Benson001@trinity-health.org.
