Dr. Sinclair Cox put down his scalpel for the last time on July 30 when he finished his final surgery after 23 years and 10 months at the Olds Hospital and Care Centre. Cox had worked at the hospital since coming to Olds in 1989.
Dr. Sinclair Cox put down his scalpel for the last time on July 30 when he finished his final surgery after 23 years and 10 months at the Olds Hospital and Care Centre.
Cox had worked at the hospital since coming to Olds in 1989. He immigrated to Canada from London, England, in 1975.
He said he is ambivalent about quitting work, but is excited about a new chapter in his life and is looking forward to seeing his two sons and daughter.
Each of his children live on different continents, with one son in the automotive business in Detroit, a daughter in corporate law in Sydney, Australia, and a second son who’s a writer in Thailand.
"We’re going to be doing some travelling and I’m certainly looking forward to that," Cox said. "They’re mixed feelings because I am one of those very fortunate people that have enjoyed my profession from Day 1, up until my very last day. I’m very fortunate that I’ve had such a career and now it’s coming to an end."
Cox estimated that as a general surgeon at the hospital, he performed about 3,000 laparoscopic gallbladder surgeries. The surgery involves inserting a tiny camera through a small incision in the belly button, which allows a surgeon to see inside a patient on a large monitor.
Before laparoscopic surgery became available in 1993, Cox did about 3,000 traditional gallbladder surgeries in which a much larger incision is made. He also performed other types of general surgery, including tonsillectomies, varicose vein removals, hernias and other types of surgeries. He estimated he performed about 25,000 surgeries of all types in Olds.
Performing surgery was extremely satisfying, Cox said, adding he’s happy knowing that he helped thousands of people.
"There is no more satisfying profession in the world than surgery," he said. "I’m very lucky in that I find surgery just as exciting today as I did when I started."
One of the more unusual surgeries he performed was a procedure in 1997 on a patient who had two gallbladders. Cox said he wanted to write about the case in a medical journal, but he said with such a busy schedule he didn’t have the time to do the research necessary to publish. About four years later, he regretted that decision when another surgeon wrote about the same surgery he performed, claiming it was the first of its kind.
Cox had the opportunity to take a position at a Canadian teaching hospital upon coming to Canada, but because he would have had to do a further two years of residency here to gain his Canadian surgical teaching designation, he declined the opportunity and instead focused on general surgery. He said part of the reason for declining a teaching position was it would have meant long hours away from his family and he didn’t want to do that.
The decision to come to Olds was a good one, Cox said, because of the surgical team that helps out in the hospital.
"There was very little surgery being performed prior to myself arriving, so we really had to build up a practice," he said, noting that as the surgical program expanded, patient feedback on surgical experiences was excellent. Cox said the team tries its best to educate patients about their surgeries and make them feel comfortable by having the surgeon, anesthetist and other staff speak to the patient personally, all before the surgery takes place.
"It’s one-stop shopping. Their name doesn’t go to some backroom person who really doesn’t understand (the urgency of a procedure)," he said.
Phyl Stromsmoe, a registered nurse who has worked at the hospital since Cox’s arrival, said the team has been able to build up a good surgical practice through having a similar goal in focusing on good patient outcomes. She said Cox will be greatly missed because of his skill as a surgeon. He also helped young medical practitioners of all types when they moved out of the university classroom to gain practical hospital experience, giving advice when called upon.
"I would just have to say it’s been a privilege and an honour to work with him throughout the years to build the surgical program here," Stromsmoe said. "He was a great teacher and a great mentor to a lot of students and staff members alike. He’s been very active in mentoring (students) throughout the years."
The hospital is actively recruiting to replace Cox, who was the only Olds-based surgeon at the hospital. Other surgeons travel from Red Deer to perform surgeries in the Olds operating room, which is open 7.75 hours per day, five days per week, carrying out different procedures such as plastic surgeries, obstetric procedures and general surgeries.
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