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.
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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