Plastic surgery is a surgical speciality that deals with improving a person’s looks and reconstruction of any defects in the body. In short, plastic surgery is a branch of surgery that improves the functionality and appearance of the person. Plastic surgery can be done anywhere on the body, barring the nervous system (your brain and the spinal cord). Plastic surgery has emerged from the Greek word plastike (teckhne) or the art of modelling or sculpting.
Who is a Plastic Surgeon?
A plastic surgeon is a licenced medical doctor who has specialised in performing resection, repair, replacement and reconstruction of body parts to improve a person’s appearance or to correct the defect and function of that body part. The procedures that a plastic surgeon can perform are:
Reconstructive procedures include surgery on affected body parts caused due to injury, infection,, development abnormalities, congenital anomalies, diseases, tumours, etc.
Cosmetic procedures to improve the person’s appearance, like liposuction, facelift, brow lift, chin surgery, etc.
What to Know Before Hiring a Plastic Surgeon?
“Why is it that we are very comfortable with one doctor than the other of the same speciality?”- because of the confidence in that doctor- “And what builds the confidence?”- The doctor’s qualifications, interactive skills, technical knowledge, empathy, etc. Similarly, no 2 plastic surgeons are alike, and it is important to look at some questions you should answer before hiring a plastic surgeon for your organisation.
- The plastic surgeon should be board certified.
Before hiring a plastic surgeon, you should ensure that he/she is board certified- this means that their degree is recognised by the national board or any regulatory body of the country they have studied the specialisation.
There are some mandatory requirements that the plastic surgeon should meet before becoming board certified- these include written and oral examinations and a number of years of practice in general and plastic surgery.
- Proven Experience and Results
It is important that before hiring a plastic surgeon, you should enquire about his/her relevant experience in the plastic surgery field. The plastic surgeon should be able to show the real-time results of his patients – this can be done by asking the surgeons to show before and after photos of their work on patients.
- Rating Score by Previous Patients
This methodology has helped in hiring the right plastic surgeon. Word of mouth is the best tool to assess the credibility and popularity of that surgeon- in today’s digital world, it exemplifies into ratings on different web platforms. Credible plastic surgeons will have a consistently high rating and good comments and reviews from their patients.
- Association with Other Accredited Organizations
If the plastic surgeon is associated with other organisations like the Plastic surgeon society, etc., it reflects on the dedication to learning new surgical techniques and commitment to the field. Plastic surgeons who have memberships with other regulatory bodies/organisations are good to hire.
- Presence of Soft Skills
Technical skills play an important role in the hiring process, but equal importance should be given to the soft skills. In the hiring of doctors, these skills are not taken into consideration. Soft skills are important as they can inform you about the way the surgeon connects with the patients- most plastic surgeon are unable to connect on a personal level wit their patients, even though they have the best knowledge- the result- the patients do not want to get treated by them. It is important to make the patient comfortable during the consultation and connect with him/her at a personal level. Look for soft skills with technical skills before hiring!
- Ethical Standards
Always hire a plastic surgeon whose ethics are in place. At times during the interview, you may notice that the surgeon speaks casually about the procedures that he/she has performed and is not in line with the medical ethical code and protocols that are mandatory to be followed. It is best not to hire such plastic surgeons as medical procedure legalities may arise due to their non compliance in following the procedures.
- Time During Consultation
At times, it is noticed that some plastic surgeons finish their consultation in a jiffy – this is not right. During the consultation, a plastic surgeon should spend time with his /her patient to fully understand the history and the problem. After that thorough examination of the patient should be done, and the treatment plan should be explained to the patient in detail. This gives clarity to the patient and instils the confidence of getting the procedure done by the plastic surgeon. If your candidate takes time during the consultation and is patient with his/her patients, then it is best to hire him/her.
Hiring is the most tedious process both for the plastic surgeon and the organisation. It is important to be abreast of the following tips and questions to be answered before hiring, as it will give the hiring manager confidence in hiring the right plastic surgeon for the organisation!
