Dr Laurence Orbuch of GYN Laparoscopic & Robotic Associates LA: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Doctor
An Interview With Luke Kervin
Education doesn’t stop in Medical School and in your Residency — it is ongoing and you will always be learning new techniques and ways to help your patients get better. There are new procedures and ways of doing things that may not have been around when you were in school and after you were board certified and started to practice medicine.
As part of my series about healthcare leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Laurence Orbuch.
Dr. Orbuch is Medical Director of GYN Laparoscopic Associates in Los Angeles, and specializes in Minimally Invasive Surgery and the treatment of Endometriosis, a condition that affects 10% of women. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and has previously served as Director of Minimally Invasive and Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, prior to moving to Los Angeles.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! What is your “backstory”?
I completed my Postgraduate training in New York, and practiced there for 15 years prior to moving my practice to Los Angeles. I specialize in Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery, with a focus on the treatment of Endometriosis. While surgery for the excision of endometriosis is the cornerstone of treatment, my approach to treating these patients is a more holistic/mind body one. These individuals often suffer from many other co-existing issues and pain generators, which must be addressed when treating them. Unfortunately, most practitioners aren’t aware of this, and many do not understand the pathophysiology of Endometriosis, and the proper steps involved in treating it.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I learned early on from one of my mentors that it is of paramount importance to always listen to the patient, as their history will provide you with most of the information you require. I also learned that it is more important to acknowledge what you don’t know, and have the humility to admit that and be able to seek guidance and do what is best for your patient.
Are you working on any new or exciting projects now?
I am always thinking of different clinical studies to do in order to improve patient outcomes and advance the treatment of disease.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I had a clinical mentor in residency who imparted upon me her practice philosophy and humility, which I have adopted. It has provided me with the moral and ethical compass to guide me in my practice of medicine.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I volunteer freely of time toward medical student and resident teaching, as well as indigent care at hospital clinics.
Can you share your top three “lifestyle tweaks” that will help people feel great?
- Healthy eating (organic, low preservative etc…..)
- Exercise
- Mindfulness
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
1. Medical economics — We are not taught anything about practice management or the business side of running a practice in Medical School. This would be very helpful for most doctors as they enter into the world of practicing medicine to decide if they want to run their own practice or be an employee.
2. The Long Hours — what they don’t tell you when you go to Medical School is the long hours that you will have as a doctor especially when you are first starting out.
3. Getting new patients — that they just don’t come to you. You have to build up your practice if you have your own through word of mouth, advertising and getting press on yourself and your practice. And if you work for a practice the practice needs to get referred to by other patients or advertise in local/national magazines letting people know about what the practice does.
4. Not every day will be great — There will be days when you wonder why you were a doctor but then you think of all of the patients you are helping get better and have pain free lives. Then you realize why you became a doctor, to help people, find a cure and be the best advocate for your patients that you can be.
5. Education doesn’t stop in Medical School and in your Residency — it is ongoing and you will always be learning new techniques and ways to help your patients get better. There are new procedures and ways of doing things that may not have been around when you were in school and after you were board certified and started to practice medicine.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
A wholistic mind/body approach to treating Endometriosis in addition to proper Endometriosis excision surgery.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them :-)
I would say Elon Musk. He is a visionary and innovator and someone whose insights would be helpful as a guide for the future.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Web: www.lagyndoc.com
Instagram: @DrLarryOrbuch
Thank you so much for these wonderful insights!
About the Interviewer: Luke Kervin is the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of PatientPop, an award-winning practice growth technology platform. PatientPop is Kervin’s third successful business venture. Prior to co-founding PatientPop, Kervin co-founded and was President of ShopNation (acquired by Meredith Corporation) and was the first executive hire at StarBrand Media (acquired by POPSUGAR).
