For Dr. Paul Lewis, an orthopedic surgeon for over 20 years, his career began with a conversation with, of all people, his baseball coach.
“I was an avid baseball player, and my coach happened to be the vice president of one of the hospitals. I was looking for a job, and I asked him if there was anything I could do there [at the hospital], because it seemed like it was something I wanted to do,” he said.
“I got a job as a respiratory assistant, and I kind of just fell in love with being in the hospital. I thought it was fun, it was exciting, and rewarding. To see the positive effect I could have on people with my job, it was really exciting for me. I think that was as big reason why I chose to become a doctor.”
During medical school, Dr. Lewis was split on what area of medicine he wanted to pursue, entertaining the idea of a cardiology residency, but ultimately chose orthopedics due to his love of athletics and interest in serving athletes.
“As I went through medical school, there were some areas that I just loved, and orthopedics was one of them. I loved my time working with athletes, and athletics in general, and it had always been a consistent interest of mine. Once I decided that’s what I wanted to do, I put my mind to it, and became an orthopedic resident. From there, it was a lot of long hours and weekends, and it wasn’t easy, but I had the desire to do it, and I knew that was what I wanted to do.”
After graduating from the Michigan State University of Orthopathic Medicine, Dr. Lewis completed a fellowship with the world-renowned Florida Orthopedic Institute in Tampa, Florida, where he worked closely with team physicians for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and University of South Florida.
“We had a series of rotations during my residency, and that was one of the programs that I was sent to during that time, and I loved it. There were specialists in trauma, foot and ankle, hand, sports medicine, shoulder, elbow. And the people that we got to work with down there were really pioneers in orthopedics, and the amount of research that comes out of that program was amazing. The time I spent there led to a fellowship with them, and a very fun year doing sports medicine and shoulder work with them.”
When asked if there were any specific procedures he likes to perform best, Dr. Lewis was quick to mention joint replacements, due to how fast they can improve patients’ quality of life:
“The joint replacement surgeries are my favorite, bar none. With those types of surgeries, I love seeing the positive outcomes so quickly. The benefit patients can receive from a joint replacement are really extraordinary, and it’s rewarding to be able to change their lives for the better with those procedures.”
Dr. Lewis comes to McLaren Bay Region by way of McLaren Oakland, where he was able to work with several other physicians in the McLaren Health Care network, including Dr. Craig McManaman, among others. During his time there, he oversaw fellow McLaren Bay Region orthopedic surgeon Robert Render, DO during his residency.
In fact, it was a recruiting pitch from Dr. Render that helped bring Dr. Lewis to the Great Lakes Bay area.
“I was first introduced to the idea by him [Dr. Render]. We just got to talking about Bay, and he told me it was a great place to work, and that I should come up to visit. I was looking for other opportunities at the time, and it just fell into place. I knew there was an opening here, and my wife and I drove up, and we loved the area. We love the water, and I can see it from my window in my office, which is fantastic. We also like that it’s a smaller community – I’m from a smaller community and I really like that vibe here.”
Dr. Lewis is now available at McLaren Bay Orthopedic Surgery at 4 Columbus Avenue, Suite 160 Bay City, MI 48708. To schedule an appointment, call (989) 393-2777.
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