How Do I Pick a Doctor when I Am a Doctor?

I'm a doc & there are 3 plastic surgeons in my town. I feel obligated to choose the one I work with, but didn't "click" with him & surgery will be done at the hospital where I work (his specialty is hands), second surgeon was female, nice, does surgery at different hospital&her specialty training is...hands. Third was the youngest, (but in practice 5 yrs) specialty is cosmetics..Should I go with my gut & go with "the competition?" I worry about hurting feelings of doc I work with.

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6 Doctor Answers | Asked by DocJellyBelly in Texas

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I recommend that you go with the surgeon with whom you feel the most comfortable. It is important to have a trusting doctor-pat

I recommend that you go with the surgeon with whom you feel the most comfortable. It is important to have a trusting doctor-patietn relationship.

Go with your gut

Feelings when choosing which doctor will do best for you. And if you really feel conflicted, then you could always go out of town but you can bet their feelings will be hurt if they find out. Bottom line, doctors should have enough integrity and character to respect your choice (even if not them) and not hold it against you.

Curtis Wong, MD

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Redding Plastic Surgeon

Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

You should feel completely comfortable with your choice, you should not have to worry about people and how they feel. It is about how you feel. Maybe you should go to the next town and keep your private matters private. There are a lot of quality surgeons in Texas.

How should a doctor choose a plastic surgeon? Go with specific expertise

Plastic surgeons pride themselves on the comprehensive nature of our training, but the reality is that reconstructive patients, hand surgery patients, and cosmetic surgery patients have different needs. That is one reason why cosmetic patients tend to come via word of mouth from other patients rather than by referral from another physician. This puts a doctor considering cosmetic surgery in the same boat as other patients, since their own referral preferences for recon and hand may not be so... more

If you're afraid to offend a colleague, consider going out of town and having the tummy tuck anonymously.

I would be very wary about having elective surgery with a surgeon I felt uncomfortable with. To avoid political problems, you might go to a good surgeon out of town and pretend with your colleagues that you never had the surgery done. Even if they suspect it, it would be rude to suggest otherwise.

How Do I Pick a Doctor when I Am a Doctor?

Your obligation is to yourself. Choose the surgeon with whom you have the most confidence. If you choose your closest colleague and have a less than ideal outcome you will have trashed thatrelationship far more than by not having chosen him as your surgeon. Thanks for your question, and best wishes.