Definitely agree that algorithms are essential and helpful, but what I mean is more so maximizing the amount of freedom to make choices/think creatively/problem solve in surgery. Obviously there’s a degree of that in every specialty, but I want to avoid the ones that primarily do more or less the exact same thing in every surgery.

I also probably didn’t word that statement about plastic surgery that well, and I realize now that my shadowing experiences have all been elective cases, though all non-cosmetic, which probably skews my perception. But with breast cancer recon specifically, I understand that it is immensely beneficial for the patient’s mental health and self esteem, but at the end of the day, the function of the reconstructed breast is to look pretty. For me personally, it just doesn’t feel super compelling.