Jennifer Knight, MD FACS

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Board Certification: General Surgery and Surgical Critical Care

Medical School:West Virginia School of Medicine

Residency:West Virginia School of Medicine General Surgery

Faculty Rank: Assistant Professor

Clinical Interests:Acute Care Surgery which includes Trauma Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, Emergency General Surgery and Elective General Surgery.  Acute care surgery is what general surgery was 50 years ago, a mixture of all things.  I also am the only provider at WVU who places diaphragmatic pacemakers for diaphragm paralysis and operative fixations of rib fractures.

Research interests: Technology and Healthcare. Trauma. ICU.

Is there a particular population of students (e.g., ethnicity, spiritual, sexual orientation) that you would particularly like to advise?

Female students, especially those interested in surgical fields. Work-life balance.

What does a typical day in the life of an Acute Care Surgeon include?

First of all there is no "typical day". EVERYDAY is different. I am required to be in many places at one time and accomplishing multiple tasks at once. The Trauma Center is always open and an injured patient can come at any time so I have the be able to be flexible and spontaneous. Nothing is typical.

What is the biggest challenge of being a Acute Care Surgeon?

Trying to put 27 hours worth of work in to 24 hours. Efficiency is essential to get all that I have to get done DONE.

How do you foresee Acute Care Surgery changing over the next 20 years?

I see the field growing and expanding. There will always be the need to take care of patients in emergency situations. Elective and optional therapies may be more restricted. But people will always get sick or injured.

I do see more shift work. This will be great for scheduling and being able to have a personal life.

What advice would you give a student who is considering a General Surgery residency?

The rewards of being a surgeon are immense. But this advise is for girls only. It takes the brightest and best females to be a surgeon; the same caliber of women who could lead a company or run for political office. A surgeon is a leader. There are sacrifices but a great life full of fun and family is possible. If you want to be a surgeon, do it. Don't settle for something else.