Question: James.When you operate on people, do you see them as just a person or do you see them as someone's daughter, son, sister brother etc.?

James Chan answered on 23 Mar 2011:

Hi Haileybailey,
Good question, and an important one.

We’re taught to concentrate at the task at hand during the operation and deal with the problem that is facing you. That’s partly why you put drapes to cover everything apart from the bit of the person you are operating on. But I have to confess it is difficult to forget that these people have their relatives and friends waiting for them outside, really anxious and worried, and that you’d have to see them and explain how things went afterwards. This is much harder when the person is really ill and may not make it.. You would normally have seen their relatives before the operation and explained to them what you’re going to do, so that can be quite emotionally taxing. But that also makes you want to do your best.

A good surgeon is somebody who can detach him or herself to concentrate on the task at hand during the operation, but can then empathise and manage the patient as a whole person before and afterwards. A person who may be very skilled but is terrible at talking to patients or treating them as nothing more than a technical exercise would make an appalling surgeon.