Zlatan Orač
Episode · #288
MISLIŠTE Zlatan Orač
Guest Zlatan OračHosted by Sandro KraljevićMay 3, 2026
Zlatan Orač
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
Zlatan Orač chose a path of precise manual skill and deep anatomical knowledge: abdominal surgery. Yet, like many healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, his specialized trajectory was abruptly reshaped. As a resident at KB Dubrava, which became a dedicated COVID hospital, Orač found his days pivoting from planned operations to urgent, often infectious disease care, directly impacting his training. This conversation explores how an individual's professional calling adapts when faced with an unprecedented systemic shift, forcing a re-evaluation of expertise and priorities.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Zlatan Orač describes his choice to study medicine not as a pursuit of status or family tradition, but as a genuine 'calling' felt since childhood, nurtured by an interest in natural sciences and even forensic TV series. The most enduring pursuits often aren't planned; they emerge from a lifelong, almost involuntary preparation.
02
Initially drawn to internal medicine during his studies, Orač found his true direction in surgery during his fifth year, driven by a manual dexterity and an 'obsessive-compulsive' desire for precision. Sometimes the path you think you're on gives way to a deeper, more inherent inclination later in your development.
03
Though his first preference was plastic surgery, Orač accepted a specialization in abdominal surgery when the opportunity arose. He now finds it 'complex, interesting, and boundless,' exceeding his initial expectations. The most rewarding professional paths are often those that open unexpectedly, rather than the ones rigidly pursued.
04
When KB Dubrava became a dedicated COVID hospital, Orač's work shifted dramatically from 'cold program' (elective surgeries) to emergency care for COVID patients and those with concurrent surgical needs. A large-scale crisis can entirely redefine a specialist's daily role, temporarily sidelining their core training for broader public health demands.
05
Surgical residents like Orač are now frequently assigned to COVID wards, managing infectious disease and internal medicine cases, which he acknowledges impacts their primary surgical training. In times of acute need, organizations must reallocate specialized personnel, even if it means a temporary pause in their specific professional development.
06
Orač points out that over ninety percent of the surgical patients now treated at the COVID hospital are urgent cases, requiring immediate intervention. Even when a facility is dedicated to a specific crisis, the underlying need for emergency general medical and surgical care persists, demanding a hybrid operational model.