A colon and rectal surgeon, also known as a proctologist, is a type of colorectal surgeon. These are surgical specialists who specialize in problems involving the rectum or the area below, known as the anus. They can also operate on the colon or run diagnostic tests on it.
To become a colorectal surgeon, as with most surgical specialties, it takes a long time to train. Before being accepted as an intern in a surgical training program, doctors must first complete medical school. Surgery training lasts at least five years, but it must be followed by two years of specialty training in treating illnesses that affect the aforementioned areas. Doctors can become board certified in colorectal surgery after completing this additional specialization.
A colorectal surgeon’s job entails a wide range of activities. Surgical specialties are frequently thought of as only performing surgery after a condition has been diagnosed. With colorectal surgery, this is not the case. In this field, performing minimally invasive diagnostic tests such as colonoscopies is a big part of the job. It’s a little confusing because proctology can be confused with other medical specialties. Colonoscopies, for example, may be performed by gastroenterologists.
A colorectal surgeon clearly performs surgery in addition to a variety of diagnostic tests, and these surgeons perform a variety of surgeries to treat a variety of conditions. They might work to close fissures or openings between the vaginal and rectum, perform surgeries to treat colon cancer, or remove pre-cancerous polyps from a diseased colon. A colorectal surgeon may perform bowel resection or colostomy if diverticulitis occurs in the lower bowel. Surgeons may also treat severe hemorrhoids that require removal, as well as patients with Crohn’s disease, which causes chronic inflammation in the lower intestine and colon.
The colorectal surgeon has a wide range of work to choose from, and in some cases, the surgeon develops long-term relationships with patients who have rectum or colon diseases. In other cases, the surgeon is consulted when problems are suspected, confirms them through diagnostic tests, performs surgery, and then does not see the patient again, with the exception of possible follow-up exams. These surgeons may have a regular clientele who visit them for yearly testing but do not require surgery because they perform diagnostic testing. The working environment varies as well; some of these doctors work for a hospital, while others run their own practice and have surgical privileges at a number of local hospitals.
Colorectal surgeons, like surgeons in other specialties, can expect long hours at work and the need to work after hours if necessary to perform surgery in emergency situations. In order to do their jobs, these doctors must collaborate with a variety of other specialists and may need to coordinate care with patients’ primary and/or specialist doctors. Moreover, as they advance in their careers, such surgeons must continue to learn because new technology, new treatments, or improvements in technique frequently necessitate retraining.