Plastic SurgeryA Team Effort

Often, patients focus only on the result - that's understandable since that is what motivates them in the first place ("I don't like my neck," "I look tired," etc.). However, arriving at your result involves a dedicated team of numerous professionals who together strive to create an overall positive and safe experience for you.

Let's highlight some of the team members without whom there would be no surgery.

The first contact on the phone and in the office tees off your experience - not just with a receptionist but the "Director of First Impressions," who welcomes you to the practice, addresses initial questions, and arranges your first appointment.

In the initial consultation, the doctor is the next team member, first to evaluate your medical history and then to help you understand, in simple terms, options and relevant details in addressing your concerns, as well as potential risks. The goal is to allow you to understand how to safely match your aesthetic goals with your anatomic realities. Creating realistic expectations will determine your eventual happiness. You then meet the office manager/patient coordinator, who continues your consultation and reviews further questions, including financial and scheduling information.

Once you have had sufficient time to reflect (varying from a day to sometimes years!) and wish to proceed, the surgery coordinator will become your guide, beginning with a search for a suitable surgery date. This sets into motion numerous communications between the scheduling specialists at the office and the surgery center.

Once a date is confirmed and about a month before surgery, another important team member, your personal physician (the one most familiar with your medical history), will determine if you are medically ok and cleared to proceed. This "medical clearance" is reviewed by your surgeon and the anesthesiologist at the surgery center for final approval.

Two weeks before your surgery, when you are back in the office for a second visit, the doctor and his team provide you with written instructions, prescriptions, and the "informed consent" document for your review. A third and final office visit shortly before the surgery will provide a final opportunity to review any 'last minute' questions. The initial after-surgery visits are also scheduled at that time.

On the day of surgery, the surgery center team members make their contribution. They include professionals from registration to expert nurses before, during, and after surgery, as well as surgical, instrument, and equipment technicians who, together with the hospital credentialed/board-certified anesthesiologist and the plastic surgeon, allow the surgery to become a reality - all with the goal of optimizing your safety and outcome.

When ready to go home, the recovery room nurse and the anesthesiologist will discharge you directly to a specialized private duty nurse (in the case of a facelift or tummy tuck). The nurse drives you home and attends to every nursing need for (usually) 48 hours, including bringing you to the office the day after surgery for examination by the surgeon. Further, aftercare visits are then arranged by the office team until the patient has fully recovered.

The thoughtful coordination of the various team members creates the patient experience and makes the surgery possible. The saying "it takes a village to raise a child" comes to mind as it takes a trained team of professionals to provide you with a safe and happy outcome. In this, the surgeon is similar to a pilot flying a plane, working with and relying on an entire team to get you to your "destination." It's worth noting that to perform surgery competently and safely, a surgeon needs not only to be well trained and experienced but also well rested, physically conditioned, and mentally-emotionally at peace to allow accurate and sustained focus during surgery.

The above should provide a measure of appreciation beyond the surgeon. A surgeon can only provide excellent service with an excellent team. So, occasionally, when a patient takes the time to appreciate and share their experience, the spirit of the team that worked hard to make that experience possible soars and is thankful for, in the end, all that matters in Plastic Surgery is the patient's well-being and happiness.