Article by Jeremy Smith

Trauma surgeons in New Jersey are some of the most qualified in the entire country. They perform a range of surgical procedures on a daily basis in New Jersey hospitals.

Educational Requirements

All future trauma surgeons must first obtain a bachelor’s degree in a scientific field such as biology, chemistry, biochemistry, or even physics. Then if their grades are high enough and they have equally high scores on the MCAT, they can be accepted into one of the many medical schools in this country. In medical school, they’ll undertake training just like any other future physician or surgeon with courses in anatomy, physiology, microbiology, pathology, and pharmacology, among others. Then if and when they graduate, they must sit for a written examination to obtain their general license to be qualified to practice medicine on real patients.

Hospital Residency and Fellowship Training

After medical school, they go through a three to five year residency in general surgery, and then they have to complete another one to two years of fellowship training in trauma surgery until they’re proficient enough to become independent surgical practitioners in their area of specialization. The residency and fellowship training are grueling programs, often requiring these health practitioners to work 24 hour shifts and get little if any sleep in any one given day. But it’s necessary training so they can refine their skill sets to the ultimate level of competence.

Types of Traumatic Procedures Performed

Some of the procedures performed are neurosurgery and traumatic surgical repair of bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles. Facial injuries are also treated in this capacity as are severe conditions with severed limbs. There’s a wide variety of operating tasks to be performed and that’s why so much advanced training is necessary. A patient’s very life is on the line when in the hands of these specialty health providers.

Rewards that Come with the Profession

The rewards are not only financial, but they’re also highly emotional. These professionals enjoy being compassionate and helpful to patients and their suffering and grieving families in times of major physical stress that occurs to a patient. They greatly value all of their knowledge and skill sets as well. And they feel comforted to know that they’re really making a significant impact and difference in a traumatized patient’s life, especially in life and death situations in New Jersey hospital emergency rooms and surgical units. It’s a very rewarding specialty and most practitioners wouldn’t trade if for any other field in all of medicine.

Mike Edwards is a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon with a keen interest in history and in particular archaeology. He has contributed to “Perfect Weapon” for National Geographic, which examines the science, technology and history of formidable weapons & “Mummy Forensics” filmed in Egypt for the History Channel. His experience with trauma surgery in Iraq during the Gulf war stands him in good stead for highlighting the relevant aspects of battlefield surgery.
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Tags: Jersey, Surgeon, Takes, Trauma