Plastic surgeon to general practitioner

[kahaokamoku]

I have written some medical places if they could tell me if this is possible and believable. I am waiting for their answers. They may not take me serious.

In Germany, it happens here. I have a several doctor friends who have left their specialty to become general practitioners. My internist who specialises in gastrology he went general practioner and the bulk of his clients are elderly people. I have one friend who is a heart specialist turned general practioner.

I am not sure how this works in america.

One surgeon who worked on my arm. He does weekend house emergency calls to make some extra cash. He is terrible. He doesn't know anything about medicine. If he is one duty, I say forget. He can cut, but he is
terrible with prescriptions.

The question is: Is it possible in America for a plastic surgeon to turn general practitioners. I don't see any complications because he would have to brush up on medicines. I think that would come with daily visitations and "companies that want their medicine pushed".

To add to believability. He becomes disillusioned with the cosmetic surgery business, and his father becomes sick. His father is a small town general practitioner. He takes over the praxis.

[ComicBent]

It is not credible to anyone who works in medicine in America. The notion of the plastic surgeon who dedicates himself to primary care is sentimental and will resonate well among witless types, but it is not realistic.

There was a television series here for a few years that dealt with exactly that same thing (a plastic surgeon working as a family practitioner). I cannot remember the name of it right now. I used to laugh at the premise of that show.

Of course, the public paid to see "Patch Adams," which was sentimental and sickening, so your idea would work among the people who liked that film.

(Edited to add: I finally remembered the name of that TV show; it was Providence.)

[pconsidine]

Another example –

On Everwood, a big New York neurosurgeon gives it all up to move to a little Colorado town and be a family doctor.

I think it's believable, but only if you've made it so in building your characters. The weight is on you as the writer to make us believe that the person would do it.

As far as whether it's possible, I think so. As I understand it, all doctors get what would be called General Practioner training and then go on to get additional training in their areas of specialization.

[kahaokamoku]

We don't get everwood here, but I will look up the website. The decision will be developed around senimental and therapeutic.

I have a good feeling that it can be pulled off.

[kahaokamoku]

Like the free clinic that is a little bit how I want him to run his praxis.

[verylittleman]

doc hollywood

[Gillis]

A U.S. plastic surgeon never trained to be a GP. Out of medical school, a plastic surgeon hopeful will do a 5 year general surgery residency and then a 2-3 year plastics fellowship. They won't see patients in general practice after they are a 4th year medical student.

Would your character be willing to give up 8 years of surgical training to dispense medications to patients who won't take them?

[kahaokamoku]

Well, my character gets burnt out on plastic (both money and surgery). I have to sell the idea that he wants to do something more meaningful. Maybe if he stayed in emergency surgery, that might have helped him, but he ends up doing cosmetic surgery, and this type of surgery disillusions him.

I am faced with writing it so it is funny as he walks away from surgery. The step into general practice is easy. He leaves California where he is practicing. He ends up in his fathers practice in a small town in the south.

I have a connection between Orange County (more specifically Monarch Bay), California and Hot Springs, Arkansas. Hot Springs is a little bigger than I want it to be so I narrowed it down to Lake Hamilton.

[Gillis]

It'd be more likely for him to leave cosmetic surgery for emergency plastics or pediatric plastics (cleft pallets, congential anomalies, etc.), but do what serves your story. If it doesn't work, you'll hear about it. Consider it a work in progress.

[ComicBent]

I can tell you that Gillis knows what he is talking about.

And here it is again, in three points, regarding how things work in America:

1. The moron American public can be duped into believing anything about medical practice. So you can write anything that you want. If that is what you are interested in, you can skip points 2 and 3 below.

2. All licensed physicians can declare themselves to be "general practitioners." However, that does not mean that a plastic surgeon or any other surgeon would do so. General practice is NOT something to go into to "make a difference." It is grueling and frustrating work, at the bottom of the medical feeding chain.

3. Medicine in the U.S. is controlled by the insurance companies. They determine who will get paid for doing what. Nowadays most of the insurance companies require that a physician be board-certified in a specialty. That requires completion of a residency program in a specialty after medical school. Even "general practice" is really "family practice," which requires a three-year residency. Even if a plastic surgeon decided to do something as insane as going into general practice, it is not certain that he/she would be able to become certified by the insurance companies. No certification, no payment. Also, any physician who works in a hospital has to apply for privileges in a DEPARTMENT of that hospital. Surgeons might not be able to get privileges in a Department of Medicine or Family Practice. In some small towns (really small) a general surgeon often does some general practice in ADDITION TO general surgery; but you will not find a plastic surgeon in Armpit, Arkansas, I can assure you.

[kahaokamoku]

I really don't know how I ended up with arkansas. I have never been there either.

It must really fit my character. After the doctor leaves California, stuttering big to small, small to big, botox this, botox that . . .

The next scene where the doctor is seen again is he doctor is looking for Jed's fingers in the forest because Jed cut them off while cutting wood. Instead, he finds the Jed's dog who ate the Jed's fingers.

Arkansas must be pretty arm pity.

[iembalm]

"The next scene where the doctor is seen again is he doctor is looking for Jed's fingers in the forest because Jed cut them off while cutting wood. Instead, he finds the Jed's dog who ate the Jed's fingers.

Arkansas must be pretty arm pity."


This part of your last post made me feel good. Your use of English is beautiful, and I wish you well on your script.

:) :) :)

[kahaokamoku]

when you put a one hour time limit on line. Germany AOL stopped unlimited time on my isdn . . . so . . . du has zu leben mit was I schreiben.