Re: Re: whos really doing your surgery??

[Guest guest]

Hi all. This topic has been a great one. I am well-aware that " who does the

surgery " really varies. So many factors, but, if there's more than one

surgeon, or any med students/PAs/residents/fellows in the OR (as is pretty

standard), usually *all* of them will play *some* role. Surgery can be a

fairly strenuous activity and can require a lot of hands, from holding

retractors and trochars to doing extensive suturing, etc. However, one thing

I wanted to point out is that *dictating the OR report* is often a task

passed down to someone lower on the heirarchy to do, and, sometimes,

depending on the transcription format, it can appear that the dictating doc

was the doc in charge. Unfortunately, I don't think the " main " name on the

OR report transcription should be interpreted to mean that person was

necessarily the main surgeon. Just an FYI.

- SC

> I wondered about this in my own case as well. Dr Hess has been

> training Dr Oakley (an experienced bariatric surgeon) to do the DS

> for several months now. When I did my pre-op work at the hospital I

> noticed that all my labs, etc were ordered under Dr Oakley's name,

> and that I had been admitted to Dr Oakley.

> I asked Dr Hess about this, and he gave a reply to the effect that

> the hospital may use any physician from the group for paperwork

> purposes. He assured me that HE was doing my surgery.

> When I was wheeled into OR, Dr Hess, Dr Hess Jr, and Dr Oakley were

> all there. I think all three of them worked together. I was a

> revison, and had lots of adhesions to work through, yet rolled out in

> about 3 hours.

> Interestingly, my OR report has Oakleys name on it. So maybe he's

> being credited with some of the surgeries to get his stats up or

> something.

> I really dont know, and actually, I've had such a good outcome and

> feel lucky to have had Dr Hess, (actual or otherwise) that I guess

> it's not all that big of a deal.

> Meli

> -46lb in 9 weeks

>

>

> - In duodenalswitch@y..., dreamweavergirlus@y... wrote:

> > I too have been wondering about this. I had Dr.Ganger as a surgeon.

> > However Dr.Quinn was there as an assistant. She has been very

> > involved in my aftercare and extremely interested in my progress.

> > Ever since I saw her there has been a question in the back of mind

> > as to whether she performed part of my surgery. I am not

> > complaining I am just extremely curious as to may have held a

> > scalpel over my body while I was out. I signed so many things the

> > day of the surgery and I was so nervous that I couldn't have read

> > half of them. But there has to be a point when an assistant begins

> > performing surgeries if they are ever going to become a partner. So

> > there has to be a point when they start letting them perform surgeries

> > and are assisted by more skilled surgeons. I just wonder if they tell

> > the patients when the assistants begin performing part or all of the

> > surgery?