Do you follow the recommendations you give to your patients?  

• Yes, for general hygiene

• Yes

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What do you think is the most difficult medical practice? The easiest ?  

• Harder: Treating Chronic Pain .  Easier: acute conditions in young people (appendicitis, cholecystitis)

• Difficult: Medical practice which involves a heavy duty of care is more difficult. Easy: a practice with stable schedules

Do you consider work to be your priority in life?   

• Takes up a lot of space and becomes an obligation in a way...  

Is it possible to have a satisfying family life as a surgeon?  

• Yes !    

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How do you find the balance between work and family?  

• I have chosen to ask for help around the house and have done so for the past 20 years. I like my job and I pay another person to do the cleaning, errands, meals, washing... it's very helpful and it improves the quality of life +++.  We keep more time for outdoor activities, sports, music.

How many hours of work per week on average?  

• 50 hrs but there are extra guards and weekend and evening work on occasion. 

• 60  

What does a typical week look like?  

• I have a lot of administrative and research work in addition to clinical work.  One clinic day, one block day, one endoscopy day per week or more.  There is custody approximately 8-10 full weeks per year 24/24, 7/7.  Committees at 4:30 p.m. about 1-3 times a week, academic meetings with residents. Courses to prepare for residents or conferences and research supervision.

• Monday to Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. then resumes from 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. exceptionally on weekends

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What do you dislike most about your practice? 

• The lack of nursing staff, which limits the possibility of operating on patients in more humane timeframes. Always saying that we don't know when we will be able to operate. The lack of research personnel is also limiting.

• Nothing

Do you consider work to be your priority in life?

• No  

Is it possible to have a satisfying family life as a surgeon? 

• Yes absolutely  

How do you find the balance between work and family? 

• Doable if well organized

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Would you be friends with your colleagues if you had met them outside of work? 

• Hmmm.. you should have the same interests for sports and travel activities. 

• Yes some but not all

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What do you think is the most important factor for a successful residency in your specialty?

• Loving what we do, loving helping patients. 

• Good health, a balanced life, good self-confidence  

What do you think is the most important factor for a successful career in your specialty? 

• Loving what we do, loving helping patients

• The same skills and I would add good leadership

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What is the best advice you have received? 

• You can't learn surgery from books (well, yes a little!)

• Take care to look at all the information and examinations available for the patient you are going to treat

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What is the most common criticism you receive? 

• From who ?

How would your colleagues describe you? 

• You would have to ask them. I am professional.

• Patient

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If you had to specialize in something else, what would it be and why? 

• ... I look for...

• I will make the same choices again

Does your specialty take jokes well at work? 

• I believe that general surgery is an environment that likes jokes of all kinds!

• Yes but at the right time

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Do students/residents sometimes make you feel overwhelmed? 

• I think it is formative to show that we have weaknesses too. That we don't have all the answers.  

• ​ No

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If your specialty had to have a romantic relationship with another which one would it choose? 

• Phew... I'm very happy not to have a spouse in medicine...  but for a specialty, I would choose .. cardiology perhaps... or another surgical discipline