Face to Face - December 2011

George J. Alexander

Clark County Medical Society

President-Elect and President of Dr. Alexander & Co.
Las Vegas

Number of Employees: 5
Years in Nevada: 17
Years with Company: 13

How did you first get into medicine?
I was first exposed to the specialty in medical school while at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and became passionate about it as I progressed through my surgical training.

What do you like most and least about your industry?
What I like most about my profession is performing surgery and seeing my patients happy.  What I like least about my profession is the health-care system bureaucracy.

If you could be another person for a day, who would you be? Why?
Warren Buffet because of his wit, sense of thrift and his understated persona despite his unmatched wisdom.

If you had to choose another profession, what would it be?  Why?
Another profession that interests me is general business and investments. I find it intellectually captivating.

What business advice would you give someone just starting in your industry?
Stay focused on quality at all times and always do what’s in the patient’s best interest.

What is the biggest challenge your industry is facing?
There are two equally important challenges facing the plastic surgery profession. One is the negative repercussion of the global economic downturn. Second is the performance of plastic surgery operations by non-board certified plastic surgeons.

What do you wish you would have learned at the beginning of your career?
That by working hard and diligently you can please most people most of the time, but not all people all of the time.

What was the toughest lesson you’ve learned in your career?
That with all our advanced medical knowledge and cutting-edge technology, there are still some diseases and human conditions that cannot be fixed.