After practicing as a surgeon for several years, Dr.Ginoux decided to apply for membership in the American College of Surgeons(美国外科医生学会), a highly selective and distinguished professional organization.
As part of the application procedure(手续), Dr.Ginoux was asked to prepare a list of the operations performed in the previous seven years. Slowly, as she worked on the long list, she began to feel uncertain. She began to question some of her decisions. Had she used the best technique in that case? Maybe, in this case, she should have run one more test before operating? On the other hand, maybe she should have … Would the doctors on the selection committee understand that, as the only trained surgeon in the area, she usually could not get advice form others and therefore, had to rely completely on her own judgment? For the first time, Dr.Ginoux felt lonely and isolated.
The longer Dr.Ginoux worked on the application forms, the more depressed she became. As hope faded, she wondered if a “country doctor” had a realistic chance of being accepted by the American College of Surgeons.