Mayo Rochester who do you see upon first eval visit?
I just spoke with the schedulers and they told me that they have no idea who I will be scheduled with but it will be one of the fellowship students who will then communicate with their sponsor or something like that. I guess they have their MD but are new to all of this and trained there?
I am VERY complex and most doctors are puzzled by me. I am concerned about seeing someone new to the field. Not sure I want to travel all that way and pay that much if this is the case. I was under the understanding that you went and saw a top specialist with experience.
I even heard stories of people who requested which doctor because they were top of the field. Can anyone clarify how this works or what their experience was and if this is normal?
Thanks so very much!
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I believe that one or more of the "big cheese" doctors review your referral, but in most instances upon arrival you are first seen by a Resident. I suppose it depends upon how your doctor worded your referral. After the Resident you are next seen by a regular staff physician.
@butterflykizzs,
The terms for different providers can be confusing, let me see if I can help clarify.
Physician Assistant (PA), a licensed healthcare professional who provides a wide range of medical services under the supervision of a physician.
Resident: A medical school graduate training in an accredited clinical setting.
Fellow: A physician training after residency for specialization.
Attending / Consultant: A physician who can practice without supervision and oversee PA, residents, and fellows in their field.
If seeing a Fellow, they have been a MD for over 3-7 years depending on specialty.
Each section may handle appointment differently, but if not a consultant, they are under the supervision of a consultant.
What location did you request you appointment at?
Gastro dept in Minnesota.
Thanks for that. They said whomever it was would have someone over them to go over everything during that appointment to make sure they are in agreement...something like that.
My concern is that I saw an actual dr in Jacksonville for three years it even they thought I was a bit complex. I no longer go there because after three years you must be seen locally and they have answers and a plan of care for you.
I feel a bit unsure that someone that is not at a higher level can handle me, but maybe.
I was just shocked. My very first appointment in Jacksonville was a NP over a main DR.
Thanks for any help and clarification.
All of my initial appointments were with a Resident/Fellow and afterwards I was immediately seen by their supervising physician. I expect that both may meet to discuss your case prior to seeing you. For me there seemed to be an action plan from the git go. That would result from going throughh your referral documents. The more informative your referral the better your visit/s will go.
That is wonderful information! Thanks so much. I am sort of self referred but my docs insisted I go. I will get them together and get the info they need to them.
It all makes sense now.
Did you end up getting diagnosed or getting the help you needed? Hope this finds you well 🙂
I was sort of pre-diagnosed so they sort of confirmed things. Adrenalectomy is sort of the standard treatment for MACS/hypercortisolism. The urology visit was mostly about treatment options for the future if that became necessary. One of the kidney lesions continued to grow and was cancerous so I opted to have it removed rather than the cryogenic ablation. I had the left adrenalectomy done at the same time. I go back in about a month to see how the other kidney is doing. FWIW post-op visits are referred to as the survivorship clinic.