Recently on November 15, the Pine Crest Pre-Med Club was honored to have highly respected OB/GYN doctor and PC parent, Dr. David Lubetkin.  Dr. Lubetkin is the Chairman of the Development of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

At the beginning of his lecture, Dr. Lubetkin gave some background about the medical field of OB/GYN.  Dr. Lubetkin mentioned that Obstetrics and Gynecology deals with a “continuity of care,” in which the doctors have a unique relationship with the patient that is uncommon in most other fields of medicine.   He also acknowledged that his field has a good balance of medicine and surgery.  However, even though this study can be very happy and joyful, he also emphasized that it is very demanding and unpredictable.  For example, Dr. Lubetkin has missed several of his children’s birthday parties due to getting called in to the hospital to perform surgery.  His suggestion to the Pre-Med students was to “pick a profession that fits your lifestyle.”

Dr. Lubetkin then shifted his lecture to pregnancy.  When first seeing a patient, he always takes a detailed history and physical.  Certain diseases and conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, influence the care and the type of medicines that he can prescribe to the patient.  He continued his talk by discussing the two different methods of childbirth and the certain situations that cause him to surgically induce it.

With demanding patients, Obstetrics and Gynecology is a high liability field because every mother expects her baby to be perfect.  However, Dr. Lubetkin stated, “every field of medicine is going to have complications.  No doctor is able to perform a procedure that results in 100% perfection every single time. But as long as you follow the standards of care guidelines, you will not be in trouble.  Always follow the rules.”

Later in his discussion, Dr. Lubetkin talked about the new technology in the field of OB/GYN.  When he first became a licensed doctor, almost every surgery was done manually.  However, he can now perform some surgeries by the touch of a few buttons on a robotic surgery machine.  Dr. Lubetkin believes that these robotic machines will continue to influence the field of medicine and eventually allow doctors in Florida to operate on patients in California using robotic machinery.

The Pine Crest Pre-Med Club was extremely excited to have Dr. Lubetkin present about the field of OB/GYN. At the next meeting, on December 4^th, plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Gibstein will present to the PC Pre-Med Club.