Good surgeon: A search for meaning

Özet

The art and philosophy of surgery are not as often discussed as scientific discoveries and technological advancesin the modern era of surgery. Although these are difficult to teach and pass on to the next generations of surgeonsthey are no less important for training good surgeons and maintaining their high standards. The authors of thisreview and opinion article tried to define what being a good surgeon really means and to look into the subject byanalysing the essential conditions for being a good surgeon and the qualities that such a specialist should possess.In addition to a strong theoretic knowledge and practical skills and among the several described professional andpersonal characteristics, a good surgeon is expected to have common sense. It enables a surgeon to make a soundpractical judgment independent of specialized medical knowledge and training. The possible ways of developingand/or enhancing common sense during surgical training and subsequent practice require separate analysis.