Meet Orthopaedic Surgeon Mr Sam Young
19 Dec 2017
19 December 2017
Q. How long have you been working as an Orthopaedic Surgeon? 
I qualified in 2014, before spending six months working as a locum in rural Western Australia. Following this, I underwent fellowship training for two years in Australia and North America and have commenced private practice this year.
Q. What attracted you to Orthopaedics?
I was attracted to the specialty of orthopaedics for several reasons. Primarily, it is a subspecialty dedicated to relieving pain and restoring function. You have to get to know your patient before deciding the right path for them. It is fantastic to see people debilitated by their problems coming back happy and knowing you helped them get there.
Q. What are your areas of special interest?
My areas of interest focus on joint replacement and reconstruction of the hip and knee. Throughout my fellowship I had a strong focus on advanced technologies such as robotic surgery, patient specific joint replacement and methods of rapid recovery after arthroplasty.
Q. What is your point of difference as an orthopaedic surgeon?
I believe my most important point of difference is in service. It is not enough to have just done a good job. I believe in the importance of being accessible to patients and General Practitioners and providing clear communication. Most importantly, it is essential the patient and their family feel comfortable with their doctor to ask questions and understand their journey through treatment, whether it surgical or not.
Q. What has been your biggest patient success?
My biggest success has been the treatment of one of my trauma patients. A 26 year old who had a terrible car accident with numerous open and closed fractures to both her lower limbs. She needed multiple operations to initially stabilise the injuries, followed by multiple reconstructive surgeries. She is now almost six months down the line, doing rehabilitation and we are starting to talk about her going back to work next year.
Q. What piece of advice do you share with your patients?
The one thing I tell all patients is that obtaining an optimum result depends on them feeling comfortable and safely progressing with their treatment plan. This means they need to ask questions, take their time and be involved with the process. When having surgery you literally have to put yourself in someone else’s hands and if you do not feel comfortable then do something to make sure you are.