Training as a surgeon
Training as a specialist in surgery begins after medical studies (minimum period of study: 6 years), if the job search in a surgical clinic has been successful. Further training to become a specialist currently takes 5 years. During this time a surgical catalogue must be completed.
The conclusion of the training in Germany is an oral examination in the respective state medical association. The training regulations change constantly. Probably a shortened period will soon be introduced in which only basic surgical knowledge will be acquired. After that, specialisation in a sub-area of surgery will follow. However, this reform will certainly not be the last.
What are the typical instruments of the surgeon?
A surgeon uses a variety of instruments to perform an operation. Most procedures require a scalpel to cut through the skin and various types of forceps. Fine scissors are often used to prepare the tissue structures and expose the surgical site.
Various utensils, such as hooks or lockers, are used to move tissue to the side to expose deeper structures. Often, electrical current is also used during the operation, which is emitted in a targeted manner via a fine metal probe. This enables the targeted cutting of tissue structures or the closure of small blood vessels.
Depending on the type of operation, a variety of other typical instruments can be used. For example, in a keyhole surgery, the surgeon uses various types of fine gripping pliers to expose and work on the surgical site. A scalpel is a fine and extremely sharp knife that is used in surgery to cut through tissue sharply.
During an operation it is mainly used at the beginning to cut through the skin. The cutting of deeper lying structures, on the other hand, is usually carried out by blunt exposure with tweezers and the targeted use of electric current. With scalpels used today, the scalpel blades are discarded after use and only the scalpel handle is reused after sterile cleaning with a new blade.
Scissors are indispensable for most operations. Firstly, surgeons often use them to cut through tissue or to expose structures. On the other hand, scissors are needed to cut through inserted material.
For example, if a severed blood vessel is knotted with a thread, scissors are needed to cut off the ends of the thread. Scissors are also needed to cut the threads when sewing the different layers of the wound. Clamps are often used during operations Instruments.
They are available in a variety of designs and sizes and accordingly the surgeon uses them for a wide range of purposes. In general they are used to hold and fix organic tissue or material. During various operations, for example, a clamp can be used to temporarily close a blood vessel to prevent blood from leaking into the operating area.
Subsequently, the vessel can be knotted with a thread, for example, and thus permanently closed and the clamp removed. Other structures such as the intestine are also temporarily clamped during some operations. In addition, other utensils used in the operating theatre, such as ligaments or cloths, can be fixed in position with a clamp.
