Faraz Khan, MD
What is your name, title, and job position?
Faraz Khan, MD
Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics
In what clinical settings do you work?
I work as a pediatric general and thoracic surgeon at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. As any other Pediatric Surgeon our scope of work involves both inpatient and outpatient arenas.
What makes your job so special?
As cliché as it may sound, I truly believe that I have the best job in the world. Very early on in my surgical training I realized that I love working with kids. The love of working with children and the ability to make a lasting impact in their quality of life is a wonderful privilege.
What is a typical day and week in your practice?
A typical week in my practice involves 1 full day of seeing patients in clinic. 1-2 days in the operating room and 2-3 nights of call. In addition, we have weekly educational conferences and research meetings.
Most rewarding aspect of your specialty?
As is commonly said it takes a village to take care of an ill child. One of the most rewarding aspect of my specialty and job is the ability to collaborate with a number of wonderful healthcare partners ranging from physicians to nurses, child life specialists and therapists. Working in a team where everyone’s goal is to provide the best care possible to an ill child makes this a wonderful experience for all involved.
Most challenging aspect of your specialty?
When taking care of a child with a serious medical/surgical condition you are not only treating the child but by default are also treating the family. For most families the need for surgical care for their child is an extraordinarily stressful proposition. Managing the expectations and the anxieties of the family which while challenging is an important aspect of a pediatric surgeon job.
Any unique challenges faced in your specialty?
Most surgical tools are designed for application in adults. The newer cutting-edge technologies take years if ever to translate into smaller sizes appropriate for the care of children. Pediatric surgeons however are typically industrious and have used available instruments with good effect to provide excellent surgical care with advanced minimally invasive methods.
What is the lifestyle (work-life balance) of a physician in your specialty?
Similar to most surgical specialties pediatric surgery requires a long grueling period of training which averages 9-10 years after medical school typically. Following the completion of training however it does afford a fairly good work life balance.
Did you do any additional fellowship training after and why?
I am board certified in general surgery, surgical critical care and pediatric surgery. I decided to pursue these additional fellowships to fulfill my dream of being able to provide comprehensive general and thoracic surgical care to children of all ages.
Why did you choose to work at Loma Linda University Health?
Loma Linda University Health’s mission of providing patient centered care resonates with me. The ability to provide comprehensive pediatric surgical care for children of all ages in a wonderful team environment was very attractive to me. In addition I have also had the ability to lead a number of health outcomes research projects so that we can continue to evolve and provide excellent care to our patients.