hypothetical question

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qwe7791

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What if a surgeon needs an operation due to some accident, etc? How will that affect his line of work and will he be penalized in any way?

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Completely depends on the nature of the injury.

I've heard of surgeons getting fingers amputated in major accidents, but being allowed to practice as soon as they can prove that the injury does not impede their ability to perform their job.
 
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:confused:

lol happens all the time on Grey's Anatomy :laugh:

Haha. I've never watched Grey's anatomy.. I'm a loser.

Okay. What if there is a significant injury that will prevent the surgeon from performing surgeries in the future. What are his other options now?..
 
What are his other options now?..

My guess would be: apply for jobs as a professor at a med school.

If that doesn't work, undergrad/grad professor, researcher, or motivational speaker come to mind.
 
Haha. I've never watched Grey's anatomy.. I'm a loser.

Okay. What if there is a significant injury that will prevent the surgeon from performing surgeries in the future. What are his other options now?..

Consult. Re-train for a related field. Teach. Study magic in the Himalayas.

See: Stephen Strange
 
Many surgeons will take out disability insurance on their hands. I personally know surgeons who have multimillion dollar policies in case of a injury to their hands.

Also, as others have said, there are other many other options for surgeons after they have finished with work. Teaching, academics, research, etc.
 
Would you guys mind informing me what occupational disability insurance entails?
 
Would you guys mind informing me what occupational disability insurance entails?

Just as life insurance pays your beneficiaries if you die, occupational disability insurance pays you if you become disabled such that you are unable to work at your chosen profession. The cost of the premiums would be based on the likelihood of becoming disabled and the size of the payout if disability occurs.
 
Would you guys mind informing me what occupational disability insurance entails?

Regular disability. You're insured for $20k/mo. You're injured and can't work. You get $20k/mo. Lets say you get better, but can't do your old profession (surgeon, anesthesiologist, whatever) and earn $10k/mo supervising NPs/PAs at an urgent care. You get paid $10k/mo from the disability policy. You retain your previous income level.

Own occupation. No matter what you do or how much you earn in another job, if you can't practice your insured occupation, you get the $20k/mo. Say you go back and do a psych residency because you can't do procedures anymore and earn $15k mo from that new job, the policy still pays you the $20k/mo for not being able to practice your original occupation. Obviously, it's more expensive. There are lots of details to look onto, some is only own occupation for 5 years, etc. True own occupation it's only offered by a few companies. I've got it.
 
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Yep, as discussed above: own occupation disability insurance.

I recently had my carpal tunnel done but before doing so I made sure that my policy was paid. Had I suffered a nerve injury as a result of the surgery rendering me unable to work as a surgeon, the policy would have paid out. There are other options as noted above and not all injuries renders someone unable to operate (ie, losing a finger isn't necessarily one of them).

Point of clarification: I'm sure IlDestriero used the $20K/month as an example; the amount you are paid will depend on what you make and how much you want to pay in premiums. The max policies available through the American College of Surgeons pay is $15 K/month (but the rates are half what I was paying elsewhere previously). It does not pay me what I am currently making, but enough to cover my expenses.
 
Yep, as discussed above: own occupation disability insurance.

I recently had my carpal tunnel done but before doing so I made sure that my policy was paid. Had I suffered a nerve injury as a result of the surgery rendering me unable to work as a surgeon, the policy would have paid out. There are other options as noted above and not all injuries renders someone unable to operate (ie, losing a finger isn't necessarily one of them).

Point of clarification: I'm sure IlDestriero used the $20K/month as an example; the amount you are paid will depend on what you make and how much you want to pay in premiums. The max policies available through the American College of Surgeons pay is $15 K/month (but the rates are half what I was paying elsewhere previously). It does not pay me what I am currently making, but enough to cover my expenses.

How are you handling everything and how has things changed since your injury in terms of your work?
 
How are you handling everything and how has things changed since your injury in terms of your work?

I'm doing fine. Immediate relief once the local anesthesia wore off. I took a couple of Tylenol on POD #1.

TBH, I could have gone back to work the next day but patients don't like seeing sutures in the hand of their surgeon, so I took a week off and went back after the sutures were removed on POD #10.

There have been no changes in my work, although I can't do pushups or downward dog as well as pressure on the scar tissue is uncomfortable, but that's getting better too.
 
This made me LOL.

If it had been Monocryl without the extensive bruising from the fascial release, it might have been better received!

Hand.jpg
 
Okay. What if there is a significant injury that will prevent the surgeon from performing surgeries in the future. What are his other options now?..

Happened to one of my uncles, he used to be a neurosurgeon, was in a car accident ~20years ago and suffered nerve damage. Did consulting/teaching, got involved in geriatrics (didn't retrain), now is the medical director of a group of nursing homes.
 
Happened to one of my uncles, he used to be a neurosurgeon, was in a car accident ~20years ago and suffered nerve damage. Did consulting/teaching, got involved in geriatrics (didn't retrain), now is the medical director of a group of nursing homes.

Does your uncle enjoy what he is doing now or is he doing this just to support himself/ family financially?
 
Does your uncle enjoy what he is doing now or is he doing this just to support himself/ family financially?

Definitely doesn't need the money. When I asked him a couple of years ago he said he enjoyed it, very different set of skills and challenges. He said it's not like he could have kept operating forever, everyone needs a fallback plan as they get older and not as physically capable or as they burn out. He's also gotten very involved with elder care/hospice patient groups too, he's always been more of a people organizer type according to my dad who thinks this suits him better.
 
I know one surgeon who went back and trained CC. Seemed like a pretty reasonable option.
 
I know one surgeon who went back and trained CC. Seemed like a pretty reasonable option.

What's CC?

Also, what are some other options besides geriatrics? Basically anything that we're interested in or is there certain things we're not suppose to do?
 
CC = Community College (in my experience)
 
Also, what are some other options besides geriatrics? Basically anything that we're interested in or is there certain things we're not suppose to do?

Anything that is more diagnostic/medication/clinic based vs manual dexterity or long hours in the or would probably work. My father, who is an anesthesiologist, has been taking on more shifts at the pain clinic as opposed to being in the or like he used to when I was younger.
 
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