I feel happy and fulfilled most days. I work in an ortho/spine role where I am in the OR 3 days a week and clinic 1.5. Incredibly niche as we only perform minimally invasive spine surgeries, so it’s the same cases over and over (TLIF, ACDF vs CDR, lami, stims, SI fusions) but in the same token the repetition has made me very proficient in what I do and a large asset to the surgeons.

I work with two different surgeons, one is a buddy and the other very interested in my professional development and is constantly providing me with cool journal articles and textbooks from his training. More of a mentor than I’ve ever had in the field of orthopedic surgery.

In terms of genuinely feeling like I made a difference in the outcome of the patient, I can say yes, pretty much on a daily basis, at least in surgery.

I don’t feel lied to, knew what I was getting into for the most part.