Dr. Jeffrey Popp spends a half day each month as part of the VA’s Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System.
“The VA hospitals are great training grounds for residents and interns who go into all branches of medicine.” Dr. Popp said. “At the VA they provide care and learn about their field.”
He sees about a dozen patients who had or need surgery on each visit. He also helps student doctors develop their skills as plastic surgeons.
Share knowledge and experience
“The group I work with the most are ophthalmology residents and oral maxillofacial surgeons,” Dr. Popp said. “They’re from almost every surgical sub-specialty.”
The residents do plastic or reconstructive surgery as part of their training. Reconstruction can cover everything from droopy eyelids to lacerated lips.
”I recently had a veteran with baggy upper eyelids,” he said. “I did one side and the resident did the other.”
Coaching new surgeons
Dr. Popp said his teaching responsibilities include coaching.
“If they don’t do things the way I think they should, I say ‘Hey, stop. Do this,’” he said. “When the residents are new, I do the whole thing. The next time we each do part. Eventually, they do the whole thing by themselves.”
Each year, two new students show up on July 1 to replace the two Dr. Popp has trained.
“They move on and two more will come up,” he said.
Do you have a question for Dr. Popp? Click on the “contact” button on the top of this page or call Dr. Popp’s office at 402-391-4558.
