Position Overview

Understanding the Role

Ochsner Lafayette General is recruiting a fellowship-trained orthopedic hand surgeon to join an established, subspecialized orthopedic group in Lafayette, Louisiana. This is a replacement for a hand surgeon who built a full clinic and OR schedule within his first six months and left two years ago for personal reasons. The role has stayed open because the demand for hand coverage in the region did not go away. You would step into proven volume rather than build from zero.

Why This Role Exists

The group has functioned without a dedicated hand surgeon. During that time, hand and upper extremity cases have been referred out of the market, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The practice wants to reclaim that volume by finding a surgeon who will stay and grow with the community.

• Replacement for a hand surgeon who reached near-capacity within six months
• Regional demand currently underserved, with patients routinely driving up to two hours to be seen
• Sparse nearby competition: the nearest hand coverage to the north is roughly 30 minutes and an hour and a half away

Practice Setting

You will join a hospital-employed group of subspecialists operating across two facilities under one tax ID: Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center (a Level II trauma center) and a dedicated orthopedic hospital where most elective cases are performed. The clinic is connected to the orthopedic hospital.

• Orthopedic-only hospital with six ORs, expandable to eight, and an 18-bed inpatient unit
• On-site imaging in the clinic, including X-ray (billable, self-read), CT, and MRI
• Procedure rooms already built out for in-office hand cases such as carpal tunnel and trigger finger releases
• Option to operate at the main trauma center for inpatient hand cases when needed

Case Autonomy

The group is outcome-based rather than territory-based. You choose your case mix as long as your outcomes match the standard of your partners.

• Practice pure hand, upper extremity, or a broader general orthopedic mix
• Strong internal referral pipeline from trauma and other partners
• Freedom to decline cases outside your comfort zone, with a partner available to take them

Qualifications

• Orthopedic surgery residency (orthopedic-trained)
• Fellowship training in hand
• Ability to take general orthopedic call

Schedule

Partners are typically structured around a mix of clinic and OR days, with OR time established as a new surgeon's practice ramps. A newer partner started with limited block time and scaled up as case volume grew.

Teaching is an opportunity, not a requirement. The previous hand surgeon spent about one day a month with residents at the teaching hospital.

Reporting and Team Structure

You would report within the orthopedic department, led by the department head and total joint surgeon.