AACS New Surgeons Committee
George Hahm, MD, Co-Chair, New Surgeons Committee
Christopher Shane McDaniel, MD, DDS, Co-Chair, New Surgeons Committee
New Surgeons Committee to Address Pivotal Point in Career:
Bridging from Fellowship to Starting a Practice
After their fellowship concludes, a new cosmetic surgeon should be able to focus on surgical technique and patient outcomes solely as they begin their practice. However, in the modern era of cosmetic surgery, this is but one of many priorities for a surgeon. A surgeon just starting out can easily become overwhelmed and spread thin by the various demands required of running a practice.
This includes such items as marketing the practice, gaining a presence on social media, achieving accreditation, and organizing documentation. The New Surgeons Committee, co-chaired by Drs. Shane McDaniel and George Hahm, aims to improve the overall transition of surgeons moving from their training programs into their careers by offering assistance to those surgeons in the early stages of building their practices. This new committee will contribute to the continued growth of cosmetic surgery and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery by offering support throughout the startup process.
A primary focus of the committee includes developing a library of reference videos that will assist new surgeons as they grow their practices. The committee is actively coordinating with well-known members within the AACS in an effort to record videos covering a wide range of surgical topics. The videos will allow experienced surgeons to give advice and discuss lessons learned on specific surgical topics as well as to provide answers to common questions asked about how to manage and build a successful practice.
The New Surgeon Committee is also developing a mentorship program that will help facilitate one-on-one relationships between the novice surgeons and current members in the AACS. Ideally, these relationships will allow those starting out to engage with those experienced surgeons who can provide insight and answers to questions that may not have been addressed during their training as well as advice on non-clinical aspects of running a cosmetic surgery practice.
The committee will assist with and market the annual Resident Forum at the AACS meetings. The Resident Forum has continued to grow each year, and it is vital for reaching out to and connecting with aspiring and current leaders in cosmetic surgery.
In summary, the New Surgeons Committee is striving to ease the transition from training to beginning a cosmetic surgery practice, which in turn should drive the growth of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery as its value increases to membership.
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