Doctor Liliya Tryfonyuk: "J never want to change my profession"

Our story today will also be special. This woman chose for herself a difficult, at first glance, rather male profession - surgery. But despite this, Liliya Tryfonyuk never loses her femininity. A self-confident professional woman is the heroine of the column "Successful Women of Rivne Region".

– What do you associate with such a season as spring?

- Spring for me is the beginning of something new, warm and beautiful. It is at this time of the year that we celebrate a special women's day, when all men tell us women many compliments, give gifts, and are proud of us. Men today, and in general, try to find out the true desires of women, but they forget that in order to understand a woman, you need to be born one. (Smiles.)

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– You can without exaggeration be called a successful woman, and what do you personally consider the concept of "success"?

- For me, doing what I love is good - and it is a philosophy of success. It happened genetically that I was born a woman. (Smiles.) Having chosen the surgical profession, I constantly have to make a lot of efforts to be a good surgeon and at the same time not lose my femininity outside of working hours.

– The complexity of surgery is not so much in hard physical work, but in the ability to make the right decisions at a critical moment. How do you do it?

- Yes, surgery is not only brute physical force. This profession requires a lot of courage in making decisions on which a person's life depends. Determination is a quality that every surgeon simply needs. And the basis of the medical profession is daily practice. Therefore, in order to do your job well, you need to work and study a lot, a lot.

– If you could change everything, would you choose another profession?

- "A doctor is not a profession, it's a lifestyle," and for me it's true. I wouldn't change anything! Although the work is difficult, it brings me pleasure. I am ready to put in maximum effort, knowledge and energy every day to be a first-class specialist. I constantly want to acquire new knowledge in order to perform new operations, to implement in our city new effective methods seen abroad.

– There is a stereotype that surgeons first "cut" and then think. Disprove this thesis.

- In fact, surgery is a last resort when a person cannot be helped by other methods. Believe me, any surgical intervention has a stage of long planning, except for emergency cases. Even in cases where surgical interventions are required, surgeons carefully weigh the patient's chances of being cured in this way and whether he will survive this or that operation. In such cases, the choice rests on what leads to less traumatic interventions.

- Is it true that surgeons often have a 16-hour work schedule instead of an 8-hour one? Is it true that your job is stressful?

- The answer to both questions is "Yes". In all surgical professions, the schedule is mostly irregular, we often spend the night in the hospital and work on weekends. But I am convinced that it is better to spend 16 hours in the operating room than to do a job you don't like. Surgery is a vocation and a sacrifice. Therefore, it always requires giving a part of oneself to each patient. A surgeon quite often brings thoughts and feelings about his patients outside of working hours. You simply cannot, after closing the office door, forget about everything and everyone until the next working day. This is a specialty of the profession.

– I know that you are the head of the NGO "All-Ukrainian Association of Reconstructive Surgery". Is it difficult to be a female president?

- Of course, it takes a lot of time from the idea of an NGO to its implementation, and a lot of effort must be made. I hope that this is a good thing: to try to organize in Ukraine the high level of reconstructive surgery that exists today in the world, to attract foreign specialists for help and cooperation, to help organize internships to gain new knowledge and experience from world-renowned professionals. Colleagues, including men, and many of them have become friends, give me great support. Therefore, being a "female president" with such support is not difficult and very pleasant!

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– How can a female surgeon combine intensive work and family? How do you personally manage it?

- I was lucky with my family and friends. For me, they are a source of support and full understanding. Doctors often build their lives around their profession, adjust and adjust their personal affairs to the need to be at work. It's nice that people close to me are used to the frequent change of plans, when instead of rest I have to go back to work. This is perceived without any condemnation or any reproaches, on the contrary, with understanding and in most cases with offers of help: for example, a ride to be faster or pick up. Therefore, I sincerely believe that people who are "burning" for their profession always find an opportunity to be in it!

– A woman surgeon outside of working hours: what is she like?

- We are all women and we are all very different! There is very little time in the day, so it is necessary to make the most of it. You should always make time to remember that there is life outside of work. Outside of work, I try not to differ from women in non-surgical professions.