Terri Halperin is a 4th year in the Harvard Plastic Surgery Residency Program.

1. What inspired you to choose a career in medicine?

I had fantastic doctors as a child and enjoyed the idea of combining science with my love of interacting with people.

2. What is your schedule like? How much time do you spend with each patient?

I wake up at 5:15 AM and get to work by 6 AM. From 6-7 AM we round on our patients. Usually we have a little time to get breakfast, we meet again for afternoon rounds, and then we are in the OR until 6 PM or so. We have clinic once or twice a week where we see either cosmetic or hand surgery patients. We spend anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes with these patients depending on the depth of their problems. I am on call from home every third night. I have to go into the hospital about 1/2 of the time. The other nights I get to stay in my own bed!

3. What are the most difficult decisions you have made as a physician?

Patient management decisions are difficult. For instance, when a patient comes in with an amputated finger, it is my job to decide if it is replantable. Sometimes it is a difficult call. Although it is not a life or death decision, it will have a significant impact on the patient's life.

Surgery

4. How and why did you choose surgery as your specialty? What do you consider when choosing between plastic and reconstructive surgery?

When I was in medical school, I found that the day went by very quickly on surgery. I felt that my personality matched well with the surgeons. I enjoy working with my hands. I enjoy the instant gratification of completing a surgery. Most plastic surgeons do a combination of both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. There are a few surgeons who perform exclusively one or the other, but the majority perform a combination of both. It seems that as plastic surgeons get older, they perform more and more cosmetic surgery.

5. How does plastic/reconstructive surgery differ from other specialties?

I think plastic/reconstructive surgery offers one of the best lifestyles in the field of surgery. There are few emergency cases, and, in general, the patients are healthy. Other fields (not in surgery) do offer even better lifestyles (dermatology, radiology) but within the field of surgery, I think it is the best. It also has the most variety of cases. We operate on men, women and children. We operate on every part of the body from head to toe. That makes a knowledge of anatomy very important. I work about 80 hours a week as a resident but, as an attending, you can make your own hours. You can work as much or as little as you want but that will be reflected in your income.

6. How do you balance your surgical residency, family and personal interests? How much time do you have to explore your hobbies and interests outside of medicine?

I am married and have a baby on the way. I certainly don't spend as much time with my husband as others do with theirs, but we make sure that we talk on the phone every day if we aren't going to see each other. We try to make the time that we do spend together quality time. I work one or two weekends a month now so I have the other weekends free to spend time with my husband and explore my other interests. I love skiing, running, knitting, reading. I make time for the things that I want to do.

7. What are your perspectives on surgery as a discipline? Your views on women in surgery? How do you feel this has changed from the past?

Surgery is an exciting field. The trust that the patients give you is really a privilege. The patient is asleep and has faith that you will do the right thing. I think that women can really do whatever they want to do. Surgery is no exception. Pregnancy and maternity leave can complicate things because it is difficult to take time off from surgery, but plenty of women have done it and are continuing to do it in greater numbers.

8. Are there special considerations you need to take into account as a surgeon regarding the way you approach patients and their families or the way you reflect on your role as a doctor?

I think that society has started to see medicine as a service industry. This is unfortunate. We as plastic surgeons, however, must remember to first be physicians and then plastic surgeons. Take care of the whole patient - don't just address the one problem for which they come to you.

9. What issues in healthcare should premedical students be most aware of?

Medicine is becoming more like a service industry. We should try to stop this. We are healers. We are physicians that care about our patients. We should not be treated as vendors by health care organizations or patients.

10. If you had one piece of advice to pass on to the next generation of student-doctors, what would that be?

Do what you love.