FAMILY DOC doing appy lap chole etc

[AstalaFP]

Any body please help me which states is good for some one with previous surgery career from another country now a family physician in US.

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[skypilot]

Rural Alaska if you want to do simple surgery as a Family Doc.

 

[AstalaFP]

Rural Alaska if you want to do simple surgery as a Family Doc.

Thank you for input. Besides Alaska I am heaaring other states also possible but i relly want to hear from the actual person who is doing this already or who knows this issues. Let say i go to Alaska is it going to be my solo practice or a hospital or state gives privilige to do procedures
May be the insurance company knows this. I see data telling like 25 % FP doing surgery like hernia etc but how the abc of this works i do not know.
My idea is to find perfect match what community needs and I can provide good service as FP and Plus surgery experience

 

[sophiejane]

Thank you for input. Besides Alaska I am heaaring other states also possible but i relly want to hear from the actual person who is doing this already or who knows this issues. Let say i go to Alaska is it going to be my solo practice or a hospital or state gives privilige to do procedures
May be the insurance company knows this. I see data telling like 25 % FP doing surgery like hernia etc but how the abc of this works i do not know.
My idea is to find perfect match what community needs and I can provide good service as FP and Plus surgery experience

I suggest you do individual searches for the states where you want to live (try states with large rural populations first). Most states have a rural health bureau that helps communities in need find docs and vice versa.

For a national database, try:
http://www.3rnet.org/

In Texas, it's ORCA:
http://www.orca.state.tx.us/

I would think with your previous experience and certification that you could find a community willing to give you OR privileges under your Family medicine license. At the very least you could first assist the local general surgeon.

Good luck.

 

[deleted87716]

AFAIK, surgical training for FPs is limited to basic emergency procedures like cesarean section and open appendectomy when/where definitive surgical care is unavailable. Don't expect to do elective hernias and lap choles as an FP, no matter where you practice.

 

[secretwave101]

Don't expect to do elective hernias and lap choles as an FP, no matter where you practice.

If you DO happen to get priv's for general surgery, you'll also need to find a way to do TONS of ops a year so that at some point you'll be able to stop paying malpractice overhead on the procedures and actually make a few bucks.

If you want to do surgery, be a surgeon.

 

[AstalaFP]

Well thank you all for your innput. My whole idea may be I will be much more happier doing lap appy or lap chole. rather doing medical clearence for them.
It's obvious that I am well trained immigrant general surgeon used to teach MIS to about 50 surgeon. May be you are right about malpractice etc big concern. But I want to utilize my skill in this area. I think this will be much more easy for me as life syle because I have already done this more than 10 years. Average 700 major cases for a year.
Bottomline I was not able to survive in US System in pursuing another training. I may do surgery all over again but very competetive.
Thank you all again
I woul appreciate if you know any hospital or Surgical Grooup hiring people like myself..

 

[FPforLife]

General Surgery is actually fairly non competitive these days. In fact in New York it is the only specialty that decreased in number( by 11%). The life style and pay are not worth it for many people these days. There are multiple general surgery residency programs that go unfilled every year. In the next 5 years expect there to be shortages, if there are not already in urban areas. If you love surgery and think its worth another 5 years of residency go for it. Nothing in medicine is worth going into for the money unless you love it( well maybe Derm )

 

[mysophobe]

I thought there was only 1 categorial spot unfilled this year.

 

[secretwave101]

General Surgery is actually fairly non competitive these days. In fact in New York it is the only specialty that decreased in number( by 11%). The life style and pay are not worth it for many people these days. There are multiple general surgery residency programs that go unfilled every year. In the next 5 years expect there to be shortages, if there are not already in urban areas. If you love surgery and think its worth another 5 years of residency go for it. Nothing in medicine is worth going into for the money unless you love it( well maybe Derm )

Not sure I'm with you on that one. By all indications I saw, GS was very competitive this year and was not less so than last year. For the past 2-3 years, GS has been very, very competitive.

 

[skypilot]

Well thank you all for your innput. My whole idea may be I will be much more happier doing lap appy or lap chole. rather doing medical clearence for them.
It's obvious that I am well trained immigrant general surgeon used to teach MIS to about 50 surgeon. May be you are right about malpractice etc big concern. But I want to utilize my skill in this area. I think this will be much more easy for me as life syle because I have already done this more than 10 years. Average 700 major cases for a year.
Bottomline I was not able to survive in US System in pursuing another training. I may do surgery all over again but very competetive.
Thank you all again
I woul appreciate if you know any hospital or Surgical Grooup hiring people like myself..

Exceptions to the rules have been made in the past for a very desirable surgeon ie allowing them to complete a fellowship instead of a full surgical residency. Have you already completed your FP residency?

 

[AstalaFP]

Exceptions to the rules have been made in the past for a very desirable surgeon ie allowing them to complete a fellowship instead of a full surgical residency. Have you already completed your FP residency?

Hi SkyPilot I am finishin FP this term. So plan to do any kind of fellowship looking for a surgery program that my hard work may lead some type of degrre so I can function as general surgeon.
People do npot know every where there no way you can change this as a foreign graduates so called pyramidal system during my first prelim year we were 11 prelim 3 categorical even if you are better than everage tere is no chance you may get even by repeating first year.
I still believe in US system etc. But reality very sad as far as FMG concerned. I have so many stories but again keep up to good work one day my dream also comes true. Also imagine prelim resident never goes to OR rotates in the ICU more than categorical etc.
I am hearing some news but could not get the real info that some hospital gives you privilige but everybody here kind of against it like malpractice etc may be its true.
Thanks again for advice. Bottomline cery convoluted track possible. I know this young foreign trained thorasic surgeon did two year fellowship at harward then one more year at Cleveland clinic then could not get any spot.

 

[skypilot]

Good luck. I think you can have a very rewarding career as an FP too. How about doing a fellowship in Obstetrics which would allow you to do lots of C sections and gyn procedures? That would get you into the operating room too! In additition there should be plenty of first assist work in rural areas where you would not be the primary surgeon.

 

[FPforLife]

Yes it is true that there was only 1 categorical that went unfilled. But if you look at the #'s ( General Surgery 1047 872 1046) You see that of the 1047 slots only 872 went to US graduates and the rest were for IMG's. That's why I say it's less competitive, still competitive though. What I meant by the 11% was that was the decrease in % of practicing general surgeons in the state of New York just last year. My point being that maybe general surgery still fills but it is fast approaching shortages as more physicians seem to be leaving the specialty. I got all this info from a general surgeon who is in practice in New York.