There was no plan B for Scott Smith, MD, a Conway orthopedic surgeon. Once Smith observed orthopedic residents treating patients with bone fractures, he was all in. “I decided I really liked orthopedics and that I could spend the rest of my life doing this,” said Smith.

“I can’t imagine a different career,” added Smith who earned his medical degree at UAMS and completed his orthopedics residency at the University of Tennessee’s Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis.

He credits a strong faith in God for helping him find his purpose as well as sustaining him during a 17-year practice with Conway Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Center (COSMC).

Smith is one of the orthopedists at COSMC who use the innovative Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery system.

 “We have been doing robotic assisted joint replacements of knees and hips for the past two years,” said Smith. “I feel like it adds a lot to the practice. It gives us information that we never had before. It helps to maximize the placement of the implant, which leads to better long-term outcomes.” The innovative procedure has drawn patients from throughout north central Arkansas to Conway.

While Conway’s population has soared to over 60,000 people during the past decade, Smith and his wife appreciate that it has retained much of its small-town atmosphere. “Part of what drew us to Conway is we thought it would be a good place to raise a family,” said Smith. “It’s been a good town for us with a lot of opportunities. A lot of good friendships have developed over the years.”

Scott Smith met his wife, Melanie, an ophthalmologist, during his residency. She completed her residency a year earlier and learned of a position with Magie Eye Clinic, now Magie-Smith-Charton Eye Clinic, in Conway. “Melanie nor I knew much about Conway, but I asked her to find out if Conway needed an orthopedist. Stephen Magie, MD, contacted Rick McCarron, MD, with COSMC, during Melanie’s interview and the rest is history.

Joining the Conway practice was also a matter of faith.

 All the men here who were practicing at Conway Orthopedics before me were men of faith, and I recognized that from the beginning, and that drew me to the practice,” said Smith. “Our faith is still front and center in our lives. Melanie and I and our daughters (Avery and Ainsley) are members at Second Baptist Church here in Conway and that’s what sustains us.”

He added, “I pray daily, and I accept prayers daily.” 

Q&A

What is your favorite past-time?
Smith: I spend time with family; I do high intensity workouts, or run, every day, and I like outdoor sports and watching college football.

How long have you been an orthopedic surgeon?
Smith: I have practiced orthopedics in Conway for 17 years, and this is the only place I have practiced.

What do you enjoy the most about being a surgeon?
Smith: I feel like most of what I do is defined. I enjoy the fact that with so many of my patients I can diagnose their problem and I can fix it with God’s help. They get better and I get to see them through to where they can perform the activities that they love.

What are the most prevalent conditions that you deal with in providing orthopedic care?
Smith: About 90 percent of my patients are experiencing shoulder or knee problems. I treat all the fractures, hip fractures, ankles, and wrists. We also see kids with broken arms. This is a practice for the whole family.

What do your patient success stories look like?
Smith: The biggest success is when I have a patient who comes in who cannot walk, and then I see them walking at Kroger three months later after having their knee replaced. I have had patients with bad fractures 15 years ago who are now healthy and don’t look back. To me, that is gratifying and a praise in my work.

(Originally published in AY Magazine)