Department of
Medical Education

Lauren Dudas

Name: Lauren Dudas

Board Certification: general surgery/surgical critical care

Medical School: UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (now Rutgers-RWJMS)

Residency: Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA

Faculty Rank: Associate

Special Clinical/Research Interests: trauma outcomes, education

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

No

What does a typical day in the life of a surgeon include?

Covering one of our three service lines (trauma, EGS, SICU), residency admin time, teaching/directing lots of training courses – ATLS, FCCS, ASSET, etc

What is the biggest challenge of being a surgeon?

No definite daily schedule. We hurry up and round so we are ready for trauma or surgery emergencies. You must be comfortable with the unknown and making quick decisions with the best (but not always complete) information you have at the time. We also still take 24+hr in house call, which is a no-go for some.

How do you foresee surgery changing over the next 20 years?

Some places have stopped having surgeons do 24+hr shifts and divide it into 12 hours, but either way, you work the same, which is a lot compared to some other specialties.

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

Make sure you see the hospital at day and night. When rotating on service, immerse yourself with the residents – find out what it is really like to be a surgeon – the behind the scenes activities like reading and OR prep, skills practice, etc, plus the daily activities you see.