New specialist endocrine surgeon at Mediclinic Morningside

Dr Claire Mitchell is a compassionate and meticulous general surgeon who performs a wide range of endocrine and soft-tissue surgeries.

With international training, she has a particular interest in neck surgery.  

Given her intense focus on patient wellbeing, it’s interesting that medicine wasn’t Dr Claire Mitchell’s first career choice. In fact, when applying to university, she vacillated between physiotherapy, medicine and – rather surprisingly – graphic design. The clincher? Although she could always change her mind and switch over to design if she didn’t like medicine, she wouldn’t be able to make the same swap if she chose life behind a laptop.

As it turned out, her choice was the right one. “I fell in love with medicine almost immediately,” she recalls. Her fascination stems from the unknowability of the human body – we all have one, but despite centuries of study, so much remains a mystery. While some may find this frustrating, Dr Mitchell perceives it as a kind of limitlessness with so much to discover.

The further she went in her studies, the more her passion grew, and when Dr Mitchell was exposed to surgery for the first time, she knew she’d found her niche. As a discipline that allows her to use her hands, it appeals to her creative side, but it’s also highly practical.

Neck surgery fast became a special interest, she says, because it adds an extra dimension to the challenge of operating: the structures of the neck are extremely fine and delicate, which makes for very intricate surgery. “The technical difficulty of these operations strikes the perfect balance between knowledge and theory. And no matter how many operations I do, it’s always different. That’s a positive for me, because I get bored doing the same thing.”

Expanding services

Accordingly, Dr Mitchell chose to expand her range of services when she set up private practice at Mediclinic Morningside. She went from “anything within the neck and abdomen”, including hernias, gallbladder removal, adrenalectomy, appendix removal and treatments for colon cancer, to dealing with hernias, “lumps and bumps”, haemorrhoids, sarcomas, breast surgery, and skin and other cancers. But, she says, issues related to the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenals remain her favourites to treat.

One reason for this is her interest in minimally invasive surgery and keyhole techniques, but the mostly positive outcomes patients can expect also has a role to play – as does the almost immediate relief patients enjoy when they wake up from anaesthetic. “It’s great when you know your treatment has been effective, and that a patient won’t require further intervention,” Dr Mitchell. As someone who enjoys being able to tick boxes, seeing a patient leave hospital gives her an enormous sense of achievement and satisfaction, she adds.

“All-consuming” concern

Of course, not every procedure runs smoothly and one of the hardest parts of the job is knowing you can never, ever give up. “Sometimes, you only realise the severity of a case when the patient is on the table. You know then that it’s going to be difficult, but it doesn’t matter how tired you are or how complicated the operation becomes; you just can’t stop until the surgery is finished. Someone’s life is literally depending on you,” she says. Dr Mitchell admits that she never fully relaxes (or even sleeps) until she knows these patients are going to recover fully. “Your concern for them is all consuming.”

Not that she would change this. The ethos of her practice is rooted in giving her patients the very best care, no matter what it takes, she says. In fact, Dr Mitchell is eager to partner with another surgeon, so she has more time to focus on patient care. She’s also keen to revive the company she set up with a colleague last year to provide high-quality training videos for young doctors.

In the meantime, though, Dr Mitchell is content to be living her purpose every day. “I love my patients and I love my work, and the more I hone my expertise, the more I enjoy it.”