Meet Dr. C. Schilling Nechtman – a general surgeon with the Premier Surgical at Parkwest Medical Center office in Knoxville, TN

We are thrilled to welcome the newest member to our team of general surgery experts at Premier Surgical Associates in Knoxville, TN. Dr. C. Schilling Nechtman is a skilled general surgeon specializing in robotic, laparoscopic, and traditional surgical methods. His expertise includes gallbladder removal, hernia repair, colon resection, as well as the treatment of lipomas, soft tissue tumors, and other acute care surgeries. In the following interview, Dr. Nechtman shares insights about his areas of specialization, what drew him to general surgery, and his patient care philosophy.

As a General Surgeon, what types of diseases do you typically treat?

As a general surgeon, I am trained to treat a wide variety of diseases across different areas of the body. My typical procedures would include gallbladder removals, removal of appendices, hernia repairs, whether from a previous abdominal surgery or groin hernias, colon resections, foregut procedures, colorectal procedures including hemorrhoids, as well as thyroid and parathyroid procedures. I also deal with a lot of lumps and bumps, meaning the removal of skin lesions, skin tags, lipomas, and skin cancer.

In which areas do you have a special focus?

I’m broad based in the areas I mentioned. I will say that, as a general surgeon, the vast majority of my referrals are for gallbladders, hernias, and colons with the other procedures I mentioned interspersed.

Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up?  

I grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. My family is from north Alabama. We grew up diehard Alabama fans. Pretty much all of my family went to the University of Alabama. I grew up in a very close family. It was my mom, uncles, and cousins. My grandmother and granddad were the matriarch and patriarch of the family, keeping us all together on family vacations, whether that was going to the lake or the beach in Alabama or going on international trips. My grandmother planned and organized a lot of that.

How did you decide to go into medicine?

I grew up in a family of surgeons. My granddad and both my uncles on my mom’s side are surgeons. My dad and granddad on the other side are surgeons. My mom is an anesthesiologist. So, I grew up around medicine. I was kind of raised by it, and I think that obviously influenced me a lot. My brother and I both went into medicine. He’s a neurosurgeon in Birmingham, and I’m a general surgeon here in Knoxville. 

Why did you choose General Surgery as a specialty? 

General surgery was a decision that I made in med school. I had a very big interest in biology and sciences, which, along with my family influence, led me to want to do medicine. I went into med school knowing I wanted to do some kind of surgery, but I wasn’t sure which. As I went through med school, and I started working with the residents day to day, it really kind of snapped in place for me. General surgery has a unique, broad, surgical scope, but also, in residency, training, and practice for general surgery, you get to use a lot of your medical knowledge. So, it provided me with a good balance of being a broad surgical physician and a broad medicine physician. 

Where did you receive your medical training?

I went to University of Alabama for undergrad. My medical school training was at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. After that, I came to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for my surgical residency. 

What is your personal philosophy of patient care? 

I like treating my patients before, during, and after surgery, helping patients with what to expect and keeping them informed through the process. For many patients, it’s their first time ever undergoing a surgical procedure. It can be a daunting situation. I try to let patients know what they’ll go through, what they’ll experience the morning of surgery, and throughout the surgical process including what to expect in the hospital and at home afterwards, because that can be a scary transition in and of itself. I also try to help make sure that patients are in the optimal condition for surgery, whether that means losing weight or getting diabetes under control or whatever else it may be. We want to maximize good outcomes for our patients.

Why did you decide to practice at Premier Surgical in Knoxville?

As I mentioned, I grew up with a family of surgeons in North Alabama. I was familiar with the practice model that Premier has, and that really piqued my interest. It was the combination of a great practice and the ability to be close to my wife’s family in North Knoxville was the driving force in the decision. 

When you’re not at the hospital, what do you like to do?  Hobbies? Special interests? Family time?

I’m married, and I have a two-year-old son. We’ve got a series of animals that we have to take care of. We’ve got two dogs, a cat, an aquarium, a gecko, and three snakes. So, we spend a lot of time taking care of them. In addition to that, we do a lot of gardening in our backyard, growing ornamental plants, herbs, and vegetables. And, of course, we spend a lot of time with our two-year-old. 

We are very excited to have Dr. Nechtman aboard. If you have a concern involving Acid Reflux, General & Laparoscopic Surgery, Hernia Repair, Hemorrhoid, Gallbladder Removal, Melanoma & other Skin Cancers, or Thyroid & Endocrine Surgery, 

Dr. Nechtman is accepting new patients. Call the Premier Surgical office at Parkwest Associates in Knoxville at (865) 690-5263 or request an appointment online.