Nurse practitioner instead of surgeon for consult. Is this normal or a bad sign?

Question

Hi! I called my plastic surgeons office to schedule a consult and they said if I see a NP for the consult I can get the surgery sooner (June) and I can come in person to see the NP. If I want to wait to see the surgeon then he doesn't have any opening for consults until July and all of his consults are virtual, no in person consults available for him. Is this normal or a bad sign? He's board certified and has good reviews on here as well as yelp, Google etc and great before and afters.

Martin Jugenburg, MD · Answer

Hello, thank you for your question. It sounds like you have done your research on the clinic which is good. In a busy practice its pretty common to have a health care team of people including advanced practitioners to perform consultations, phone-calls and follow ups. They have become essential to most practices these days. The initial consultation with a NP or PA can be a good start, to discuss what you really want goals and possibilities for your anatomy and risks associated with that surgery. This  can save the surgeon a lot of time when you actually see them to go over any questions. Usually in a busy practice the Plastic Surgeon likes to spend most of their practice time doing what they love doing the most; performing surgeries. Of course there is also a level of trust ensured by the surgeon onto the NP and PA. At our practice, we utilize a nurse for consultations and then the surgeon will see patients the week or two prior to review everything. Of course the surgeon is the one performing the surgery.

Irena Karanetz, MD · Answer

Hello,
Thank you for the question.
Nurse practitioners and physicians assistants often help surgeons during consultations, which is totally normal. However, I would make sure that you are seen and examined in person by the Plastic Surgeon who will be performing your procedure for the best cosmetic results prior to actual surgery.
I hope this helps.Best regards, Dr. Karanetz
Dr. Irena KaranetzBreast Fellowship-TrainedBoard Certified Plastic Surgeon

Ted Eisenberg, DO, FACOS, FAACS · Answer

I recommend an in person consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss your goals and be measured. After I measure and discuss goals with my patients, we then look at pictures of women (my patients) with similar measurements with different size and style breast implants and they choose what looks right for them. They also get to see what they would look like when the breasts have fully dropped and fluffed and in clothes. You get to see actual results and the surgeon's experience and not a virtual idea of what can be achieved. Women tell me that this process is very helpful in determining what size and style breast implant is right for them. Dr. Ted Eisenberg, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon and Author. RealSelf Distinguished Hall of Fame Inductee. Philadelphia, Pa., USA

Brian K. Reedy, MD · Answer

Thanks for your question! This is 100% your decision. I prefer to see all of my patients in-person for consultations, but not everyone runs their practice the same. I do think it is important to have a certain level of comfort with a surgeon but also their office. Perhaps you could go to the consultation and feel it out for yourself. Good luck!

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

I personally want to see all my potential patients in person or on Skype and consult with them for about an hour to answer their concerns and questions and to recommend the procedures I think would provide the results they are seeking. At the end of the one-hour consultation, I provide them with a quote for their consideration.

Ronald J. Edelson, MD · Answer

I don't think it's a red flag at all as long as you get to see the surgeon prior to your surgery. The surgeon has given you several different options on how to get an earlier consult. Since Covid many surgeons are giving virtual consults and they work quite well so you might want to give that a chance. Patients really like virtual consults because they are easier for the patient as well as the surgeon

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear ChristinaM731,
finding the right Dr. is extremely challenging especially with the number of online platforms and resources available. There a lot of great Dr's available. Make sure he/she is a board-certified plastic surgeon. Definitely check to make sure your choice specializes in the procedure you want and spend the time to read through patient testimonials. There is a number of different sites where you can check for reviews (Realself, yelp, google, etc.).You can always pick up the phone and call around also, find an office you feel comfortable with and set up a few consultations. 
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Connie Hiers, MD, FACS · Answer

Your surgeon will still need to examine you before surgery to do an exam and make sure of your measurements and sizes selected. Go to the exam and decide for yourself. Remember, the NP will not be doing the procedure.

Mark T. Boschert, MD · Answer

So this lets you know how interested the surgeon is in the patient. The surgeon also probably has someone follow around doing instagram for them also LOL! I think that real plastic surgeons are interested in understanding the issues a patient has and helping to form the plan for addressing the concerns. I think that will also reflect on the interest they have in the OR as well. Be careful, be sure they are actually a real board certified plastic surgeon and not trained to do something else and then call themselves a plastic surgeon. I have also heard of games where a surgeon will say the first available to do surgery is in a year or six months away, but if you pay more they can move that up for you.... be careful a lot of games out there.

Darryl J. Blinski, MD · Answer

Is this a clinic or private practice? YES sounds very omnimous to me. You should ONLY be seen by the operative surgeon. That is whom you are paying the surgery to.

Nurse practitioner instead of surgeon for consult. Is this normal or a bad sign?

Answers (10)

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