By Paul Zidel, MD

“What is your greatest strength as a hand surgeon, and how could you improve?” That was the topic assigned to me. How can I answer in an interesting, insightful, and meaningful way? To paraphrase The Princess Bride movie, prepare for disappointment. 

At first, I was intrigued when asked to expound upon this ASSH Perspectives topic. Especially since there is no IRB and it just takes a bit of thought, which, according to Descartes, to think is a good thing. Descartes and I once went to a diner for a cup of coffee. The server asked if he would like cream or sugar. Descartes said, “I think not,” and disappeared.

I did ask ASSH, “Why me?” and was brought back to reality with the answer that the selection was somewhat random. 

I thought I could offer insights into this topic with semi witty and engaging points and then realized we all have pretty much the same thoughts. Funny, but this reminded me of the list of questions I was given to ask applicants interviewing for our residency program. Almost everyone answers the same way regarding their strengths: “I am very hard working, I get along well with my peers, I am caring, I want to accomplish special things, I will be a credit to your institution.” On occasion, someone will come across with an outstanding and interesting response. I recall one applicant opening his briefcase with our department research articles and a list of questions for us. That was impressive. 

Upon reflection, I feel the majority of us go through similar stages in our careers and life. Initially, after fellowship, I felt I knew everything current, could do anything, and would be willing to try almost anything. It was an exhilarating time. That was replaced by somewhat more critical thinking, which was replaced by critical questioning and a more humble approach.  What is funny is at each stage, I was struck by how much better I was then than I had been in the past.

I was speaking with Charlie Eaton about this assignment and the following is his insightful response: “It is a strange stage of life for us, isn’t it? One of the incredibly persistent psychological delusions we all have is that right now is the way things are going to be for the foreseeable future, despite a lifetime of witnessing this delusion debunked again and again on a deeply personal level. Is that bad? No! It’s the wellspring of optimism and the reason why it would be a profoundly bad idea to be able to know the future.”

I guess my greatest strength at this point is to realize my limitations and priorities as comes to my patients. I try to take great care of all aspects, including the minuscule details. Importantly, I try to interact with the patient in a more humane, caring, and appropriate professional manner as I would like to be treated.

My other strength is appreciating the serendipity, good fortune, or guided outcome of being where I am and the journey to get here. I have had outstanding teachers and colleagues who have taught me more than could have been understood at the time. From Dr. Martin Robson, I learned more critical thinking. From Dr. Robert Beasley, I learned meticulous technique in absolutely everything, and he was kind enough to introduce me to Dr. William Littler. I would like to thank my past and current colleagues, Drs. Charles Eaton, David Chiu, Charles Melone, Larry Zachary, Anthony Smith, and Scott Swanson, all who have helped me immensely. It is an excellent strength to ask for help.

My areas to improve would be to better balance my family, friends, faith, and future.

I do feel quite honored to be fortunate enough to be a hand surgeon and part of this community, which allows me to meet great people and do good. Thank you for allowing me to think about my career from this perspective.