We, at Premier Surgical Associates of Knoxville, take pride in our well-experienced and competent surgical team.
Let’s meet one of the members of our team, Dr. Joseph Thurman.
Dr. Joseph Thurman is a general surgeon of Premier Surgical at Fort Sanders Regional in Knoxville, TN. He treats a wide array of diseases, including gallbladder disease, small bowel obstructions, hernias, and infections of the skin and the soft tissues.
Tell us a bit about your background.
“I had completed medical school at the University of Oklahoma and then my surgical training in Charlotte, North Carolina at Carolinas Medical Center.”
Why did you choose general surgery?
“General surgery is the ability to intervene immediately on an issue, fix it, and hopefully, with a good outcome to make an immediate change. That’s the appeal of surgery, to be able to use your hands to actually do something to enact a change for someone.”
What patients do you see the most?
“The majority of my practice is in an acute care in-patient setting. I deal primarily with anything that comes to the emergency department or with patients already admitted to the hospital who have surgical issues.”
What is your philosophy of care?
“Because of the way my practice is focused in the acute setting in the hospital, a lot of times the patients I’m meeting have a very serious issue that is often unexpected. These aren’t planned things like having thyroid removed or a breast mass removed.
This is something that’s often very serious so my personal philosophy in dealing with people is to recognize that even though the issue may not be serious from a disease standpoint or surgical standpoint, it’s very serious for them and to take that into account when interacting with them.
I also treat everyone like either they’re a family member or someone I’ve known for a long time. This relationship is a two-way street. This isn’t me making decisions for someone; this is me presenting options and explaining something and coming to a decision with a patient.
To request an appointment with one of our general surgeons like Dr. Thurman at Premier Surgical Associates, visit us here.