Why plastic surgery? And what do you do, anyway?
You guys do hand surgery too??
As a plastic surgeon, there are two questions I am frequently asked:
1) why did you go into plastics?
2) wait- you guys do that?
I realize the second one isn’t so much a question, but I promise, it relates to the first part. Nearly every week I have a patient, friend or family member express surprise when I tell them about some part of my work. Because plastic surgeons cover a whole slew of stuff that the general public doesn’t realize, and that stuff is sometimes covered by other types of doctors as well. Fake breasts? Obviously us. Cleft lip? Still us (and not generally an ENT surgeon as you might think). Accidentally cut your finger off with a hedge clipper? You might see an orthopedic surgeon (i.e. bone doctor), but you’re just as likely to see your friendly neighborhood plastic surgeon when you arrive at the ER. And if that plastic surgeon is me, I may have just come from aerating the lawn or tuckpointing the house (that hand-eye coordination comes in handy in other parts of life, you know!)
So you can see how this leads back to why I love plastic surgery. From one day to the next I may be operating on a face, a hand, or fixing broken bones. And my patient may be a 6 year old girl who landed badly doing a cartwheel, or a 91 year old grandmother who needs a skin cancer removed. Besides that, plastic surgeons are some of the coolest people I know.
In a nutshell, that’s my intro to the awesomeness that is Plastic Surgery. I’m starting this blog to share some of that wonder with you, in a twice-a-week post. Now it’s your turn- if you love your job, what makes it so fantastic?
September 10, 2012
My job is fantastic because it allows me to meet great, wonderful people like yourself! Your great work helps me do my job better!
Funny- I was thinking the same thing! Where would I be without fantastic nurses like you and Jules to steer me straight in the middle of the night?
I love(d) my job because I got to work with awsome plastic surgery residents! Thanks for starting a blog – miss you at SLU.
I miss you too! How’s retirement treating you? I gotta tell ya, private practice is just a different world, but I think you guys at SLU trained me better for it than anyone could have!
My job is the coolest! As you Aunt-in-Law, I get to watch you from the sidelines. AND IT’S FACINATING!
Great idea for a blog, Jennifer! I look forward to keeping up with you here. 🙂
Kathy- thanks so much for stopping by! It’s great to hear from you 🙂