What's the story with this guy?

[Guest]

Agree with above, this was an incredibly self-serving individual . The impression one gets is either they couldn’t hack it as a surgeon, and are simply trying to garner “social media likes” on their way out and make themselves look like less of a cop out.

It’s totally fine to decide a field isn’t for them, but bad mouthing an entire specialty (spine) simply because you decided you don’t want to do it anymore is uncalled for. Also, put simply, this clowns assertions are blatantly inaccurate, and heavily disputed by research. The literature on this subject strongly favors that properly selected spine patients significantly benefit from surgery. In fact, if one reviews the actual disability indices and pain scores from pre and post op, many spine patients actually improve MORE SO in their absolute score change compared to orthopedic joint replacement surgeries. That’s huge, considering that hip and knee replacement are considered to be excellent and effective surgeries.

So this ex-surgeon should probably shut their mouth, as they are either uininformed and poorly read, or a poor surgeon with poor outcomes, or possibly their education consisted of watching poor surgeons with poor outcomes.

Stop trying to make yourself look good on your way out. Just disappear quietly so none of us have to deal with another self-absorbed social media narcissist.

[Guest]

"most of us do not end up helping people in any lasting, meaningful capacity"

How can you say that? The CES patient with a massive disc herniation is helped? The trauma patients aren't helped? The 70 year old with lumbar stenosis who can't stand up to play with his grandchildren isn't helped with a lami? These are patient's spine surgeons see regularly. I see patients in my clinic frequently whose lives were changed by surgery for the better, saying most of us don't help people is complete BS. Don't take that the wrong way? How the fuck else are we supposed to take that?

You may not have have meant to bad mouth the field, but how did you expect the layperson to interpret that video? I get that you are making a nuanced point about how it's much more important to focus on general health and wellness, mental health, and obesity, no one disagrees with that, but the way it comes off is "i was doing spine surgery which doesn't help anyone, it's just done to make rich people more money." That not only makes spine surgery look ineffective, but implies that we're all morally bankrupt criminals. Just look at the people on social media that have picked up the video, its mostly the crowd that peddles supplements and thinks big pharma is hiding the cure to cancer to make money.

I would like to see it clarified that you meant to make a more nuanced point on incentives in healthcare, not say that surgeons all know we aren't helping anyone and just do it to make ourselves rich. You could also mention that most surgeons won't operate on people whose BMI is out of control, who aren't working to get off chronic opiates, and whose diabetes and diet and poorly managed. If you were operating on these people maybe that's something (along your indications) you should reflect on that could have caused your outcomes, because if you weren't seeing anyone helped I think that's a personal problem.

[Guest]

Well said

[Guest]

https://youtu.be/kd2DYlp4PBM?si=uMWINwiIBx2pmzrJ

[Guest]

Lmfaooo looks like some surgeons got triggered.

[Guest]

Looks like someone who’s not a surgeon didn’t get triggered, cuz they haven’t made it to the big leagues yet. My sympathies, you might make it there someday kiddo, if you study real hard. It’s a long road, don’t get discouraged, there’s no shame in ur current level.

[Guest]

This is some next level salt up there^ ???

Elitism in surgery is sooo pathetic

[Guest]

Hi. Healthcare provider here. I've watched many of his videos. He's not whining, and he didn't have false expectations of the profession. It's entirely possible to get straight A's and hate what you do. Dr Choi is extremely and deeply insightful. Neurosurgery was not a good fit for him. As we ALL know, healthcare has become increasingly depersonalized, production-focused and kind of miserable. I, too, have reduced my work hours inorder to find the joy in life again. I think, in time, we will see Dr Choi return to medicine but in a different way- I can visualize him doing charity surgeries in suffering countries, that sort of thing. I wish him much success in moving thru life, being courageous, and walking a different (but very good) path.

[Guest]

“Healthcare provider”

[Guest]

I wouldn't want a guy who couldn't figure out surgical indications in a first world country to do surgeries in a third world country

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big yikes on posting as a "healthcare provider"