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Using a Doctor in a Fellowship Program - Opinions?

asked 1 year ago by Overthemountain in Birmingham, AL
Latest answer by Sam Naficy, MD
Question viewed 474 times
Tags: age 45-54, credentials, plastic surgeon, qualifications

I am 51 and in excellent health. I see a facelift in my near future. I have made several appointments for consults. One of the Drs. is highly skilled and at the top of the food chain in our area. Along with that comes a higher price tag. Rightly earned I am sure. He does have at least one Dr. in his Fellowship program. Of course their costs are much lower for obvious reasons. What is the skill level of these Drs? Can you tell me more about the training they go through during this program.

21 answers to Using a Doctor in a Fellowship Program - Opinions?

+4

Fellowship doctor doing your surgery

There are several questions you should ask of the Fellowship Director before having his or her fellow be the primary surgeon.  Among the most important are: - How many of these procedures has the Fellow seen? Done? - Will you, as Fellowship Director, be in the operating room - or just available? - Do you, as Fellowship Director, feel that the Fellow has sufficient technical skills and judgment to do the procedure competenty? - How long is he procedure expected to... more
Keith A. LaFerriere, MD

Springfield Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.facialplasticsurgeon.com

+2

Facelift from fellowship

Many good posts here. Your questions should be similar to choosing another doctor for a facelift: -What are their credentials? -How many have they observed/performed? -Will the fellowship director be in the room to observe/assist? I have performed procedures during my fellowship experience under these circumstances with great results. Usually, the patient was someone i knew, or they wanted to save money. All surgeons do their first facelift sometime (... more
Richard Castellano, MD

Tampa Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

To fellow or not to fellow, that is the question

I am 51 and in excellent health. I see a facelift in my near future. I have made several appointments for consults. One of the Drs. is highly skilled and at the top of the food chain in our area. Along with that comes a higher price tag. Rightly earned I am sure. He does have at least one Dr. in his Fellowship program. Of course their costs are much lower for obvious reasons. What is the skill level of these Drs? Can you tell me more about the training they go through during this program... more
Rafael C. Cabrera, MD

Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon
+2

Surgery by a trainee or an experienced surgeon - they are not the same

All of us were trainees once and all of us know that we are much more skilled surgeons now after years of practice. So, to save dollars you can have a trainee do your surgery but you need to know that the result will almost certainly not be quite as good as if it were done by the top surgeon in your area. You need to make that call but don't "hope" that you can get the best result for less from a rookie.
Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS

Seattle Plastic Surgeon
+2

Should you allow a facial plastic surgery fellow to perform your surgery?

This is a fantastic question. I would echo my colleagues' comments that fellows just like board certified surgeons carry different levels of experience, technical skill and confidence. You will save money having a Facial Plastic Surgery fellow perform your surgery but there is a trade-off. In many cases, the fellowship director is willing to be present for the entire procedure or for the critical portions of the procedure (incision planning, SMAS elevation, etc). I would recommend that... more
Stephen Weber, MD

Lone Tree Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.lonetreefacial.com

+2

Surgery done by fellows

As a former facial plastic surgery fellow, I am sympathetic to your situation. In order to be a fellow, the surgeon has already completed a surgical residency and may even be board certified. When doing a facial plastic surgery fellowship, the fellow is generally assisting during the director's surgeries and may have his or her own patients. It is important to ask if the fellow will be directly supervised by the director and if there is a complication or further procedures are needed,... more
Gregory J. Vipond, MD

Pasadena Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

Skill levels of Fellows are well below the established surgeon

 I was a fellow and have trained numerous ones over my 20 plus year career.  You get what you pay for.  The fellow will learn from performing your Face Lift, that's how we all learned.  If you're OK with that, then it's a good match but be certain that you understand the fellow's skill and experience level performing your Face Lift will be a quantum level below that of the established plastic and cosmetic surgeon.  Experience is the key.  more
Francis R. Palmer, III, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon
+2

I am sure the fellow is a very capable person.

Having said that, they are still in the sheltered womb of their fellowship.  They have not been subject the battle for survival that occurs in practice where some surgeons establish themselves as sought after, world class surgeons and other don't.  The senior surgeon who trains fellows is a survivor.  That is why he or she is out training the next generation of surgeons.  Of course the fellow needs practice and that is why their services are offered at a discount.... more
Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD

Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon
+2

Plastic Surgeon Fellows are like all plastic surgeons, skills and experience vary.

All plastic surgery fellows need to have some experience in cosmetic surgery to enable them to go into practice with confidence that they are truly trained across the wide spectrum of plastic surgery. You need to have a consultation that includes the fellow and ask questions r.e.: will he be supervised or working independently? will you be his first case or more in the middle of his year? how long will it take him to do your surgery and what will be the ancillary... more
Nathan Mayl, MD

Fort Lauderdale Plastic Surgeon
+1

Using a fellow for surgery

This entirely depends on the skills of the fellow you are selecting. The patient in the link below was my first unassisted face lift performed during my fellowship year, and she received about 40% off the standard fee.
Sam Naficy, MD

Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Face Lift

This will vary with the program and involvement of the main surgeon. They are skilled surgeons and were selected from many applicants so you are dealing with surgeons who are at the top. There is no substitute for experience, but their training is learning from those who have years of experience. Ask for photos of patients before and after, and then make your decision.
Vivek Bansal, MD

Danville Plastic Surgeon
+1

Costs & Facelifts

There is significant fee variety all over the country and around the region for different facial rejuvenation and all cosmetic related procedures. Often, it is related to the experience and expertise of the surgeon. This is one time where you should not trust your face, your breasts, or your body contouring to the lowest price of a surgeon or a billboard with a “new look” offer. In medicine and in life, you get what you pay for. You only have one face, one nose, and one body that... more
Rod J. Rohrich, MD

Dallas Plastic Surgeon
+1

Facelift - Using a Doctor in a Fellowship Program - Opinions?

No simple answer - I think that there are two general factors to be considered when talking about this, or any other, surgery: the inherent surgical ability of the surgeon, and the experience that that surgeon has. Assuming a certain level of surgical ability, it then often comes down to the number of procedures that that surgeon has done. It's not quite that simple, and there are always other issues, but that's where the consideration starts. So - how can that... more
Alan Engler, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon
+1

Training

Residents or Fellows are already good surgeons. They just lack experience. A good fellowship director should monitor all surgeries carefully. Therefore you should be in good hands.
David A. Bray, Sr., MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Doctors in a fellowship training program are training so this is something to be aware of

Can they great good results? Yes possibly depending on their skill level. I would see if this particular fellowship doctor has a booklet of results that you can refer to and assess whether the results are something that you like. Some of the time, the fellowship directors are there to give them guidance to aid in the ultimate results. One thing to realize is that sometimes, you do get what you pay for. Experience makes a difference. I've been in a fellowship and what I've... more
Philip Young, MD

Bellevue Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Facelift from a Surgeon in Fellowship

I, like many of my colleagues on this website, performed Facelifts during my fellowship. Were the results good and the patients happy? Yes. Are my Facelift results much better 10 years later? Absolutely. As you mentioned in your question, experience and skill come with a price. Although you can obtain an adequate result from a Surgeon in fellowship, the risk of being less than satisfied is inevitably higher than a Facelift with an experienced Surgeon... more
Stephen Prendiville, MD

Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.drprendiville.com

+1

Birmingham Fellow

The surgeon you refer to in Birmingham is very consciencious and would be the one to ask about the skill level of his fellow. In his case, his fellow is not permitted to operate independently until he/she has demonstrated skill and safety to the satisfaction of the fellowship director. Fellows earn their position after they have completed residency, so the individual is already experienced and at least Board Eligible in a surgical specialty. That being said, fellow or not,... more
Paul K. Holden, MD

Phoenix Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Fellows performing facelift procedures varies on experience

As with all surgery experience is key. There are many questions to ask regarding the fellowship program and whether the key physician will be present in the operating room. How much experience does he have in this particular field of plastic surgery? How many cases has he done? Can you speak with some of his patients in person and discuss their experience? Can you see his before and after photos? I have had many surgeons study under my tutiledge and I have been present for every procedure... more
Michael Elam, MD

Orange County Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

With Facelift, experience matters

I have been doing facelifts for about 20 years, and I definitely have "evolved" . My results today are better than before. I think you will be safe having a fellow do your surgery, but experience does matter. Interview both surgeons, but I would lean towards the established surgeon over one in training - unless that is the only financial option you have. Best of luck!
David Magilke, MD

Portland Facial Plastic Surgeon
+1

Facelift preformed by plastic surgeons in fellowship training

In some areas it is possible to have a facelift performed by a plastic surgery fellow in training at reduced cost. Fellowship training and the amount of experience the fellow has can vary. Also, the amount of supervision by a more experienced attending plastic surgeon can vary. Check with the surgery training program you are considering to see how much experience the fellow has with regard to facelift surgery, and how closely he or she will be supervised during your... more
Vincent D. Lepore, MD

San Jose Plastic Surgeon
+1

Fellows performing facelifts

Just like for any surgery, experience and training matters. Speaking from experience, some fellows perform hundreds of facial procedures on their own in well designed "hands on" fellowships. However, some fellowships are more observatory in nature with little hands-on experience. Should you decide to have a fellow perform your surgery, than you would ask this beginning surgeon to view his/her before and after photos and speak to former patients, just like you would any other surgeon. more
Thomas T. Le, MD

Baltimore Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.bwfacialplasticsurgery.com

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