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Getting involved in surgery as a family physician


no-name

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Senior clerk here. I very much enjoy procedures and especially surgery...but I am going into FM because I also love everything it has to offer, though I was wondering if that necessarily means no surgery for me ever again. How could I incorporate a little bit of surgery (minor, surgical assist, some obstetrical work, etc) in my future practice if I gain sufficient training? I have seen that Saskatchewan and some other schools offer Enhanced Skills in Surgery, but I am interested in practicing in Quebec or Ontario.

Do you have examples of family physicians who are involved in surgery in these provinces, maybe in a rural setting? I am looking for concrete, leggit, sustainable practice.

Thanks very much in advance!

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22 hours ago, gangliocytoma said:

You can work as a surgical assist. Great money, minimal responsibility. There are some people that do that exclusively after finishing FM.

Thanks for your answer. I've never heard of that before! What would be the process to become a surgical assist as FM? could it be possible to do it part-time? Are there a lot of positions? Any info would be super helpful.

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Honestly not sure what the process is, it seems like there might be job postings. I'd scroll through health force Ontario website and see if there is anything there. You can certainly do it part time (dedicating 1 or more days per week). It is more common in community sites where they do not have frequent surgical residents bc in academic sites the residents typically act as the assist.

And yes you can certainly do procedures as a FP. I think there are many people that completely abandon doing any procedures in their practice and the plastic surgeons at my centre get inundated with silly punch and simple excisional biopsy consults. That is more than within the scope of a FP and if you attend some courses and pursue this interest in residency you could get exposure to more advanced things like skin flaps, deep excisions etc. Whether you do this in practice would depend on availability of a surgeon near by. Procedures like various joint injections, IUD/contraceptive implant insertions, biopsies and excisions, in grown nail removals are all very much within the scope of a FP and should be something you are trained for in residency. 

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I think you probably find surgical assist jobs through networking. Reach out to current fam doc surgical assists and ask for advice and opportunities. There definitely are opportunities but the good opps are probably quite competitive and rarely ever posted. Training would probably be on the job and so it'll be informal.

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