Student surgeon :S

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#1 Post by **pa1n** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 7:29 pm

so where i live i can get this surgery for free but there is one problem.. i think the chances of me getting a 'student' surgeon is fairly high, should i be worried?

i had my pictures taken a few weeks back, the person couldn't even take proper photographs of my jaw without a senior coming to assist him, before i know it i get a crowd of students surrounding me watching the senior give them a lecture on how to take photos of my jaw

A few of my friends go to the same place for their braces and about 4 out of 4 of them had a student dentist fit in the braces for them

But since this isn't just braces but a reasonably large surgery, is it likely that i will be getting an experienced surgeon to do my surgery? Or am i just lying to myself right now as students are soon going to have to learn to do it anyway.

this never occurred to me or i never thought of it until a relative of mine have had a student doctor perform an operation for him (not a jaw related surgery) which has turned out pretty bad. i also realize countless people on this forum asking other members who have had successful outcomes about which surgeon they went to see, quite simply, everyone seeks a good surgeon.

i'm expecting responses such as 'an experienced surgeon will always be better' or 'risks would be higher with a student surgeon' etc.
but is that a good reason for me to not have this surgery? do you suggest i visit a private ortho?

#2 Post by **Rodney008** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:22 pm

First, I'd find out if it actually will be a student operating. If it is then I would lean towards not doing it. I was also presented with an option similiar to this. I was told I'd be a great case to be worked by the Baylor School of Dentistry. I asked the same question you did....will a student perform the operation? The response was NO! Only actual surgeons/professors, who are considered some of the best in the country, will perform the surgery. Students would be present during the surgery, but only to observe. I kind of found this hard to believe since these guys have to learn somehow, but this is what I was told. I ended up not doing it because I was told it was a very long process to go through this with the school, and I also found out my insurance was covering my surgery so I just met with a surgeon on my own. Hope this helps! Good luck!

#3 Post by **dvdrdiscs** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 10:47 pm

Ask them. If they tell you it would not be a student performing your surgery, I would lean on believing them. Medical lawsuits are not things people would take lightly.

#4 Post by **chicago29** » Tue Oct 12, 2010 5:11 am

Personally, I would use the "student" option only as a last resort if I had insurance or financial concerns. That being said, I know there are people on here that have had their procedures done at a teaching hospital, and I think they would all speak positively. Maybe somebody will see this and chime in...

My understanding in these situations is there are one or more "experienced" surgeons scrubbed in, but it is the students themselves doing part of the procedure. As somebody indicated, these people have to learn somehow. They may be in a secondary role, but I would certainly believe they are going to be involved in some way.

One thing to consider with the teaching hospital is the procedure(s) are going to take significantly longer. In fact, a double jaw takes 6 to 8 hours in this environment. That's a LONG time to be under anesthesia, and you're going to pay the price for that with a longer recovery. They say it takes 2 days per hour of anesthesia to get it out of your system - I believe that.

One thing I would still say to you is you need to trust the environment or the "experienced" surgeon here - If you're uncomfortable, go somewhere else. It is absolutely vital that you have trust in the people carrying out this procedure...

Best of luck to you.

-Chicago29

#5 Post by **matty63** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:49 am

Also going off chicagos post, the surgeon wouldn't allow the student to do the procedure if he wasn't at all confident they could do it. The students would have to jump through tons of hoops before actually get to the surgery stage.

#6 Post by **sarz** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 2:07 pm

Most surgeons tend to have junior surgeons or senior house officers present during surgery. I took this as a positive aspect, as they are still training and base alot of their practice on current evidence based research. Good Luck with your surgery.

#7 Post by **beowulf68** » Fri Oct 15, 2010 12:52 pm

I'm having my surgery done at UofM, which is a teaching hospital. However, even though Surgery Residents are doing most of the pre-op work-up and will be in the Operating Suite (probably along with 1 or 2 medical students) during the surgery, a tenured professor/department head will be doing the surgery itself.

I've never heard of a facility, and I've had many surgeries done at many different facilities, that allow students to do major surgery.

Like other posters who have answered this thread, I would simply ask who will actually be doing the surgery and if they tell you that a student will be doing it, then I would bail!! The potential detriment to your long-term good health is not worth the free-ride.

#8 Post by **TwitBerry** » Sat Oct 16, 2010 12:55 am

I would politely ask that students not participate directly with the procedure but are welcome to observe. Having this conversation with your primary surgeon well beforehand would probably be best. Make sure that you read all documents that they give to for your consent. They may spring this on you right before they wheel you in. I learned this hard way. If you see that students will take an active role written into a consent form, cross that language out with a pen.

Ask a few of the attorneys over at allexperts.com for specific guidance regarding this tactic. There may be other sites to find legal advice, but this one comes to mind at the moment. From what I understand, the patient has the right to refuse certain parts of a consent. Good luck.