Preparing my child for surgery

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Preparing my child for surgery

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One of the questions I get asked all the time: How do I prepare my child for surgery? What do I tell them? One of the things I always advice parents is, first of all, tell them the truth. What we are doing is we are going to go get fixed. We are going to change something. We are going to get a cast or the arm, but make sure it is the truth. Number two, understand that your child mirrors your level of anxiety. If you have confidence and faith that your surgeon is going to take care of your child, they will have confidence and faith in that surgeon, too. I can always tell how a child is going to react to surgery when I talk to the parents before the case. One of the things that is most important to understand is that this is a process for your child. It is always nice to have it over. Once it is over, it is going to be always over. You'll feel great afterwards. If you let the child know that it is going to be okay and will really help them, it makes it easier for them.
ALL PARENTS, Health and Wellness

Watch Video: Preparing my child for surgery by Thomas Grogan, MD, ...

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Thomas Grogan, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon

Dr. Grogan is a practicing pediatric orthopedist in Santa Monica, California. He has seen over 40,000 patients in his practice alone. Dr. Grogan graduated cum laude from Princeton University with a degree in Biology and received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.  Dr. Grogan’s orthopedic training has included an orthopedic residency at UCLA plus several orthopedic fellowships in pediatric orthopedics, trauma, and NIH sponsored joint replacement surgery. Following his orthopedic training he returned to Los Angeles, spending six years at Shriner’s Hospital for Crippled Children, including serving as Assistant Chief in 1996 and 1997. In addition to his clinical practice, he spent several years involved in managed care consulting as an orthopedic surgeon and has developed special expertise in this area. He has collaborated with the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in the development of a handbook and audiotape entitled, Health Care Reform and Managed Care: A Guidebook for Orthopedic Surgeons. In addition, he has served as the lead faculty member for the AAOS for their 1995, 12 city educational seminar, “Taking Charge: Managed Care Contracting for Orthopaedic Surgeons” and as a faculty member for the AAOS’s 1996 seminar series entitled, “Winning at Risk: The Interplay of Cost, Quality, and Access in Orthopaedic Practice”.  He most recently served as a faculty member for the AAOS’s 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 seminars, “Practice Management Symposium for Practicing Orthopaedic Surgeons’. He is currently chairman of the Practice Management Committee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a member of their Council on Education. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, Honor Medical Society, the Sigma XI Scientific Research Society, California Orthopaedic Association (COA), the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

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