Interview #2

Interviewee:

Dr. Dominique Nickson, Orthopedic Surgeon

Business Name:

Next Step Orthopedics

Date and Time:

October 2nd, 2015 at 3:30 PM

Analysis:

Dr. Dominique Nickson is the head orthopedic surgeon at Next Step Orthopedics. He attended a fellowship specializing in foot and ankle surgery, and his schedule includes meeting with patients, performing surgeries, and consulting with other professionals in orthopedics.

Throughout our time together, Dr. Nickson was able to provide me quality information about questions related to both the administrative part of his career as well as the surgical side. Dr. Nickson told me that when he first started out in the medical field, he was set on going into pediatrics. However, after taking an orthopedic class and experiencing a little of what it had to offer, he knew orthopedics was the right path to take and went on to complete school and his fellowship to become a certified orthopedic surgeon. As we discussed the foundational aspects that helped him get to where he is today, he stressed one specific point: keep an open mind. Even though his final major was different from his first interest, he still worked hard to accomplish his goals, and now he is the head of a very successful center with nearly 4,000 patients.

Furthermore, Dr. Nickson helped me understand that sports medicine in itself is a very broad field, and varies greatly from career to career. There are different paths to the same goal, but he stressed the importance of finding the easiest and shortest way to your goals. Along these paths, he said, you will be constantly influenced by the people you meet, and they may change how you think of your field. Dr. Nickson also emphasized the impact that those you choose to surround yourself with have on you. They can motivate you, but at the same time can also cause you to stray away from your path. As a whole, Dr. Nickson gave me beneficial and practical advice for my future.

As for his career, Dr. Nickson splits up his week addressing the different parts of what being an orthopedic surgeon entails. For example, he counsels and meets with patients on specific days. He also has specific days set aside solely for surgery, and finally sets aside a day for administrative activities, such as his interview with me. This organization helps him balance an extremely busy lifestyle. Furthermore, the work environment at Next Step Orthopedics is laidback, but at the same time very efficient. The rest of the staff I communicated with were extremely polite, and therefore Dr. Nickson is definitely someone at the top of my list with regards to a potential mentor.

The most important information Dr. Nickson was able to provide me was at the very close of our interview. I discussed with him my goals for my final product, possibly creating a better way to treat ankle sprains or increasing awareness about this issue in high school and middle school sports programs. Dr. Nickson told me that I should focus on the awareness more than the actual treatment, because there are researchers and companies that are always trying to find ways to better prevent these injuries. He said that awareness is essential in order to stop this issue as a whole, and informed me about a condition causing the loss of the ability to grasp one’s sense of relative position and movement, called proprioception. In all, Dr. Nickson provided me with invaluable information that will help me in both ISM and in college.

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