Interview with a Surgeon

What is your educational background, specific to your profession?

Firstly, choosing your parents well helps. Both sides of my family are involved in health care. At one time I had 11 uncles and 6 aunts, almost 50 cousins, 8 brothers and sisters, and almost 30 nieces and nephews. Not sure how many ‘greats’ I have at this time. Couple more on the way I am told.

There are at least a dozen nurses, several physicians, dentists, vets, and an assortment of others in related fields (e.g., speech pathology, surgical equipment sales, etc.) and, again, on both sides of my family. (No attorneys, although my attorney brother-in-law was best man at my wedding.)

At age 4 I realized what I wanted to do: surgery. And as the oldest of those 9 children I almost think I was born with “Dr.” in front of my name. I just had to figure out the letters that went behind it.

I studied zoology as an undergrad at UCLA. Always liked anything alive. Dissection especially. Doctorate at University of Illinois at the Medical Center, Chicago. Residency at UCSF. Currently Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor at OHSU. (I’m really in private practice, but it’s a nice title).

Never switched gears but did find myself the indentured servant of the US military machine during Viet Nam. Not my idea, but I did not avoid it either. I saw lots of surgery and was especially keen. So, after the war, it was back to college with a very specific goal in mind.

What was your most valuable experience, that gave you the tools and insight to become a surgeon?

The most valuable tool for me is just persistence in everything I do. Seeking out the things that work but not necessarily the latest and greatest, which sometimes do not work well. And of course, there were mentors of all kinds. (Now I find myself being a mentor to some folks.) My greatest mentor was my chairman at UCSF, a literal father figure to a generation of us that went through the program. I feel very fortunate to have been there at a very exciting time.

I do have a mantra I learned at Illinois: “The professional man has no right to be other than a continuous student.”  (Yes, I know the “man” needs to be changed to “person”.)  It was a statement made in the late 1800’s by the physician/dentist G.V. Black and an ideal that I have lived by the last 35+ years of my career and plan to for the rest of my life.

As a working professional, what changes have you seen in medicine that have significantly affected how you work?

The changes I have seen in the 35 years working in this area are pretty amazing. An anecdote will serve this question well.

When I started as an intern in San Francisco there was no CT scanner in northern California. We relied on fuzzy analog tomograms to evaluate difficult cases. No fun at all.

Halfway through my residency we got the first CT scanner anywhere. It was the size of a room and cost 7 figures+. It totally changed the way we looked at things. But it was still film and in 2-D; not 3-D.

Fast forward. Digital technology improved to the point where 3-D reconstruction of 2-D images on a monitor is the norm. But still, we had to refer out to radiology centers to get the scans. But not now.

Last year I purchased a state of the art Cone Beam CT scanner for my office at a 10th of the cost and size of the original scanner we obtained in SF. It is the one thing that has made the biggest change in my practice in over 30+ years. I would never have imagined having something like this in an office setting! Bye bye analog, hello digital.

With regards to the new generation of surgeons, what are the skill sets that you are seeing?

The new set of surgeons coming out in my field have a longer training period–some as much as twice as long as I had. They no doubt know more than I did when I finished my program. The downside of this added training is added debt. I am frankly amazed at the 6 figure debt loads these folks have before they ever start working, and they don’t start working until they’re in their mid 30’s sometimes. (I won’t even get into current reimbursement levels. That’s another story.)

The amount of debt they have can alter the decisions they make coming out of training. Not always the best way to start out but I recognize the issues they face.

What would your advice be to an aspiring surgeon &/or to the institutions and instructors that are providing them with the education & “tools” they need to work in medicine?

We have a really good program here at OHSU that is highly sought after by people around the country. You just have to admire anyone who would spend the next 12 to 14 years, after high school, to get to this point in their lives.

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Whenever I have a precocious young patient in my office, I always ask them what they plan to do with there lives. I find it incredible how many already have a good idea of the general area they want to study, even at a very young age. I think their parents sometimes have no clue what their kids are thinking. Some seem surprised at their answers.

Today was a 15 year old Asian gal.  She wants to be a physician. Yesterday was a 17 year old Asian guy–wants to be a dentist. His brother is going to be a hospital pharmacist. And 2 weeks ago we encouraged an 10 year old Asian boy to be a research scientist. (He was just beyond bright.)

And if you think this implies that Asian boys and girls are way ahead of the curve, you are correct. Not all of them to be sure, but compared to your average white student they are.

I really have no idea how to get the “average” student to the level of some of the kids I see in my practice. But starting very young cannot be too soon to help them appreciate education and all its rewards.

John L Krump, DDS PC

Diplomate of the American Board of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery

Diplomat of the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology

John L. Krump, DDS is a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon with extensive training and many years of experience. He completed his undergraduate work at UCLA and graduated in 1973 with a BA in zoology. He then attended dental school at the University of Illinois in Chicago and obtained his DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) with honors in 1977. Dr. Krump completed his surgical residency at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and received his certificate in 1980. That same year he moved to Oregon, where he opened his private practice.

In addition to being licensed in both Oregon and California, Dr. Krump has been awarded a number of professional designations and advanced certifications in recognition of his expertise in surgery and dental anesthesia. In particular, since 1983 Dr. Krump has been a Fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and, since 1986, a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Since 2003 Dr. Krump has also been a Fellow of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology as well a Diplomate of the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology.

Outside of his private practice Dr. Krump provides trauma support for maxillofacial injuries and is affiliated with several Oregon hospitals, including Oregon Health Sciences University and Adventist Health Center.

Dr. Krump has also been active in the academic sphere. In 1985 he was appointed clinical assistant professor at Oregon Health Sciences University; since then he has instructed many dental students and residents in oral surgery. He has also written articles in multiple professional journals as well as lectured across the US on surgical techniques, particularly those pertaining to dental implantology and bone regeneration.

Apart from practicing and providing instruction in oral and maxillofacial surgery Dr. Krump enjoys spending time with his family. He also has a passion for fine art photography, where he is known as John Eric Lutz. Many of his favorite prints are displayed throughout his office.  To view samples of his photography, feel free to visit www.jelutz.com.