Following traditions, World Surgery Day was celebrated on September 18, the third Saturday in September.
The profession of a surgeon is considered the most inordinate in medicine, and not every graduate medical student can become such a doctor. In addition to profound theoretical knowledge and practical skills, surgery requires such personal qualities as compassion and a desire to help others. Specialists say you never stop learning to be a surgeon, but the test of a person’s inner strength begins during one’s University years. It is impossible to imagine a surgeon without fortitude, responsibility, and self-discipline.
Prof. Assoc. Evgeny N. DEGOVTSOV, MD, PhD, Head of the Department of N.S. Makokha Surgery Department (Advanced Course), took his first steps towards surgery in the University, and the total length of his service is already 36 years.
«My mother is a doctor, she worked in the Department of Pediatrics, and from an early age, I went to hospitals. And besides, when I was 13, I fell off a bicycle, broke my arm, and ended up in the hospital. I was so impressed by the coordinated work of the doctors, and that's when I first thought about becoming a surgeon in the future», - says Doctor Degovtsov.
Evgeny Degovtsov began working as a member of a medical emergency team during his third year of studies. After graduation, he entered a subordinate and internship in surgery and then worked as the Head of the Surgical Department of the Central District Hospital in the Nizhneomskii District for ten years. Degovtsov considers working in the suburban area a tremendous experience in terms of professional growth and the ability to provide a wide range of assistance. He considers Nikolay S. MAKOKHA and Azariy N. KABANOV his teachers, and now he has became a mentor for future doctors himself. The number of surgeries performed by him has decreased slightly, with the priority given to complex clinical cases.
The hours spent in the operating room exhaust the doctor not only emotionally, but also physically, so keeping yourself in good physical shape is essential. For Doctor Degovtsov, swimming and speed walking have been an integral part of physical activity for many years.
«Surgery is a love of a lifetime! And I dream that young people who enter into the profession will be unconditionally devoted to it», - says Doctor Degovtsov.
Prof. Andrey V. PISKLAKOV, MD, PhD, Head of the Department of Pediatric Surgery and Reproductive Health for Children and 
Adolescents, noted some curious trends in pediatric surgery in recent years. More and more female graduates want to become pediatric surgeons (now there are five residents at the Department, all of them girls).
«If previously the majority of residents were students of the Faculty of Pediatrics, now we also have a lot of students from the Faculty of General Medicine. During the first year of residency, they learn to communicate with our little patients. I advise residents to watch modern cartoons, because doctors need to know which characters are children's favorites today and what they are interested in. It's very important to find the right approach to children», - says Professor Pisklakov.
Professor Pisklakov has no difficulties in communicating with children. His total length of service is 39 years, 33 years as a pediatric surgeon. With the example of his mother, an operating room nurse, and his older cousin, a pediatrician, he chose his profession early. After graduating the Faculty of Pediatrics, he completed an internship, worked in the Central Regional Hospital of the Lyubinskiy District for three years, in the Department of Traumatology at Omsk Emergency Hospital №1 for one year, and since 1992 and to this day, he serves in the Omsk Regional Children's Clinical Hospital. Even after years of daily interaction with children, work still brings joy and professional pride to Professor Pisklakov.
«A child's body is a unique system, so sometimes it is better to follow the principle of non-interference. Sometimes, the best surgery is the one that can be avoided. As a joke, I sometimes compare the profession of a pediatrician to that of a veterinarian, because patients of both usually do not complain that much. So it's very important to find an approach, and I think I'm doing a good job. Children are sinless, they are truly holy beings, so we can say that we are working with angels», - says Professor.
Answering the question about how to excel in a profession, Professor Pisklakov strongly advises studying very hard! A person who wants to become a surgeon must master both theoretical knowledge and practical skills, because a doctor has to provide care to every kind of patient, including underweighted newborns and 18-year-old people. Students also need to appreciate their teachers, learn from the experience of their older mentors, and read as much as possible, including scientific literature in English language. After all, the more sources of knowledge, the broader the horizons, and it's hard to argue with that!
OSMU Press Center