Westerly Hospital recently welcomed a new board certified general surgeon to its medical staff – Allison McAteer, MD. Dr. McAteer is a Rhode Island native and formerly served as Chair of the Department of Surgery at Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, RI.
Said McAteer “I’m looking forward to taking care of patients in a community hospital setting because, today, you don’t have to go to a big city hospital. We’re continuing to bring technologies out to the communities.”
A graduate of Tufts University and Tufts Medical School, McAteer joined the Brown Medical School Program in surgery, completing her residency in 2000. Her patient-centered approach to surgery includes the idea that each case is unique, with different approaches tailored to each patient’s specific needs.
As an example, she notes that robotic surgical options are increasingly giving patients new options for less invasive surgeries. Certain types of robotic surgeries are currently available at L+M Hospital, and Dr. McAteer, along with L+M’s Chair of Surgery, Dr. Paul Bourguignon, can arrange for patients in the Westerly area to have procedures at L+M, if and when appropriate.
“I expect to be doing these surgeries, along with Dr. Paul Bourguignon,” Dr. McAteer said. “We’re hoping to ramp up our robotics because the patients recover faster and there’s less tissue trauma. In many cases, the patient can go home the same day as the procedure.”
Dr. McAteer’s specialties within general surgery include colon surgeries, breast surgeries, hernia repair, gall bladder surgeries, skin cancer removals and also colonoscopies and endoscopies. A large part of general surgery is caring for patients in the Emergency Department, including urgent surgeries, and Dr. McAteer joins the local surgeons in rotation on call in the Emergency Department.
“General Surgery is always varying, and that’s something I love about it,” Dr. McAteer noted. “I look forward to being near the coast, of serving the residents of the Westerly area, and I look forward to helping Westerly Hospital continue to enhance the care it provides for all its patients.”
