Scott A Turner, MD

Dr. Scott Turner is a double board-certified surgeon who specializes in trauma, surgical critical care, emergency general surgery and elective general surgery, collectively known as the specialty of acute care surgery (ACS).

Dr. Turner is a member of the acute care surgery team at The University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City. The surgeons of the ACS team work with students, residents, fellows, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to provide comprehensive trauma and surgical care to patients who may arrive to the hospital through the Emergency Department or are met by our comprehensive surgical care team for elective general surgery.

As an acute care surgeon, Dr. Turner cares for a vast array of surgical diseases, including gallbladder problems, appendicitis, bowel obstruction, abdominal and groin hernias, soft tissue injury or infection, as well as injury to the liver, spleen, intestines, ribs and lungs. Patients who require admission to the surgical intensive care unit (SICU) remain under the care of acute care surgeons who are also board-certified in surgical critical care. In the SICU, acute care surgeons manage the ventilator (breathing machine) as well as medications to support blood pressure, antibiotics, pain and sedation. Acute care surgeons perform bedside procedures such as central line placement (large IVs), bronchoscopy (to clear the lungs), tracheostomy (surgically placed breathing tube) and gastric tubes (feeding tubes).

Acute care surgeons help coordinate the care of injured patients and may consult colleagues from other departments such as orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, plastic surgery, vascular surgery or interventional radiology, depending on the type and severity of illness or injury. Acute care surgeons provide care for patients from hospital admission through hospital discharge and routinely see patients after a hospitalization.

Dr. Turner is an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He is the director of education for the Division of Acute Care Surgery and is the associate program director of the surgical critical care fellowship.

He earned his undergraduate and medical school degrees from Creighton University in Omaha. He completed a residency in general surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center and completed his surgical critical care training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Outside of work, he spends most of his time with his family, friends and dogs, as well as riding his bicycle, hiking, traveling and learning from others.