Professionals are known to be extremely dexterous and are able to reach the demands of a very hectic industry. This whole image of them being extremely perfect and not messing up is highly expected of them due to how people know these professionals have been trained for so many years before they become the professionals who work in the professional, today.
But of course, it is very impossible for someone to not mess up once in a while in their life. Every person makes mistakes most of the time and no one is perfect. Even professionals, as well. They are skilled at their specific profession or jobs but and has a vast knowledge about it, but that does not mean that they are always executing their jobs perfectly. Some tasks could be harder than the other, never tried before and they are new to it, which is why some professionals may not be able to perform their tasks incredibly well.
Of course, when a person makes a mistake, they will feel terrible after it. They would even have an emotional breakdown as well as feel bad for a few days. It is extremely overwhelming if the professionals make the mistake, because it is not just them who will be affected by their errors at work but the clients as well and the workplace they are working at. In terms of clients, if a professional makes a mistake in their jobs, affecting the clients and have disappointed them, chances are, the client might not return for the professional’s services again due to a bad experience. Although in other cases, it can actually be dangerous and life-threatening, and this article will be talking about medical practitioners, specifically surgeons, in the medical field on making medical errors in their medical practices.
The medical field is an extremely cutthroat industry. Even if it is just medical school, it is already a very competitive industry. Medical students are trained in an extremely competitive ground in order to prepare them for a more hectic and fast-paced environment. These medical students undergo years of training and education before they become licensed professionals.
A surgeon’s duty is to perform surgical operations on a patient who needs it due to how critical their condition has become. Performing surgery is one of the hardest tasks due to it being performed in the internal system of the body, which is extremely complex and sensitive which is why it takes so many years to study surgery, and also depending on the specialty they choose to pursue. But of course, despite having to train for a profession that is responsible for complex procedures, there are still room for countless errors, and that is unavoidable.
What Kind of Mistakes do Surgeons Make?
Surgeons are no exception to making errors in their professions, surgeons make some errors, too. Most of the errors that they make are leaving things inside their patient’s body. In performing surgery, surgeons use a variety of tools and items to ensure that they use the right tool on a specific body part. Some of these objects are extremely small which has a higher possibility of having to get lost in the operation; worst case scenario, inside a person’s body. Sponges and gauzes are one of the most susceptible to getting inside the bodies since they are absorbent and could absorb blood, which creates a camouflage for them to look like organs or tissues, without the surgeons noticing it.
Another one of the common mistakes surgeons make on performing their patient’s surgical operation is nicking something inside their patient’s body, accidentally. Accidentally wounding a patient from the inside could cause major complications such as cutting up a vein that could lead to excessive blood loss, that could lead to death.
What Happens if a Surgeon Makes a Mistake?
These mistakes are not just easily brushed off due to how dangerous the consequences that comes after it. These mistakes could lead to losing a patient’s life, and if the patient decides to file a legal complaint to the surgeon who performed their surgery and had caused a complication, the surgeon could get suspended, and worse, get their license revoked and lose their right to perform surgical operations.
Once a surgeon gets suspended, they would not be allowed to go to their workplaces due to suspension. The board will investigate the surgeon’s case in order to take some consideration on what kind of punishment should be done unto them or the patient might just be defaming the professional.
How do Surgeons Cope Up with Their Mistakes in Performing Surgery?
Like other people, surgeons sometimes take some time to fully get a grasp or process their errors while performing surgery. Some surgeons beat themselves to it due to how stressful their work is and they will always think that they could have done a better job. But of course, that is not the case all the time. Some errors heavily affect a surgeon’s performance in surgery especially if it was a death of a patient. Losing a patient’s life when they were supposed to save them can really take a toll on their mental health, especially if they have formed a close bond between their patient in an emotional support kind of way.
At this point, surgeons sometimes take a leave at work until they redeem themselves. There are also some times wherein they just have to suck it up, act professional and head to their next patients. Although some surgeons actually go to consult their seniors and other co-surgeons for advice and knowledge so that they will be prepared for their next surgical operation and avoid the risk of making errors especially if it would cost them a life.
The Bottomline
Like all people, surgeons make mistakes and we should know that they always try to make up for it, this is why we should be more understanding towards them and be respectful.