h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Surgery may be open to the world now via the media of TV, but it will never match seeing it in the flesh, if you'll excuse the pun. There is nothing that can prepare you for seeing a live person cut open before you, even worse is the smell as minor veins etc. are cauterised. I nearly fell off the box I was stood on. Four or five operations later and I was happily staring at hearts and lungs etc. It's fascinating once you get over the nausia.

I seriously considered studying to become a surgeon a while back, but skipped it due to several other aspects.
Are you by any chance a surgeon?
I still try to follow the development in surgical areas and general medicine, but naturally only from a laymans view.
I also still imagine myself quite capable of witnessing an open living body in front of me, but I guess that stands to be proven...

Nope, I'm an engineer who works for a firm that make medical equipment for use in theatres and ITU. I've done R&D, and manufacturing work. I think I like R&D the most. The people you meet I quite amazing. I spent a day in theater with two guys, a surgeon and an anaesthatist who spend the whole day pulling tumours from peoples chest cavities, and chain smoked their way through the few minutes they could grab between operations. No food all day, just cigarettes. And I thought my day ws stressful.

Stress is primarily determined from the amount of caffeine, nicotine and other stimulants imbibed or abused by the subject.
Personally I prefer caffeine and LOTS of it, preferably in liquid form, as coffe, even if Cola works as a substitute. I need this stimulant whenever I have performed my job of teaching school-children, so don't talk to me about stress!
Jokes aside, I don't doubt for a minute that it is stressing to perform serious surgery. Talk about holding a mans life in your hands...