Striking the Right Balance with Dr. Charles Young

 Being a doctor brings a level of prestige and respect when you get to put the “Dr.” in front or “M.D., D.O.” after your name. To get this distinguished title people go through rigorous course work and undergo strenuous rotations in various specialties. One can equate this difficult experience to climbing a steep mountain with 100 pounds on your back. There are physicians that after this process devote their career to making the best outcome for their patients. Such a doctor is Dr. Charles Young.
Dr. Young is an Orthopedic Surgeon at Facey Medical Group. Receiving most of his medical training from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Cleveland Clinic. “I did a general surgery internship and an orthopedic residency there and then did another year at Cleveland Clinic in a sports medicine fellowship, where I trained more specifically in knees and shoulders.” This training extends over a ten-year period after college. Moving to the Santa Clarita Valley in 2009, just one year shy of the ten-year mark, Dr. Young began working right out of his fellowship. Originally from Bakersfield, California he knew one day he would end up somewhere in the Sunshine State.
Growing up Dr. Young has been somewhat of the black sheep of the family. “I come from a family of lawyers: my dad, my two sisters, my brother, my brother-in-laws are all lawyers. I have always been science minded and it [becoming a lawyer] never really resonated with me. Even to this day when they talk shop I just don’t get” Throughout is school age years he excelled in the sciences and after attending medical school he continued to be inspired by various mentors and professors. “When you meet certain people, like Dr. David McAllister, [whose specialty was sports medicine and Orthopedics], they become your mentors and that reinforces where you want to go.”
For the past nine years Dr. Young has worked for Facey Medical Group. Many doctors choose to work within a large group rather than going into private practice for many reasons. “I think medicine has changed a lot. If you were going into medicine 20 years ago, you were looking to establish a private practice, but in the last 10 to 15 years things have been moving over into big group practices and there is a reason for that. The good part is that care is a lot more efficient, you have a big group of doctors with multiple specialties you can refer to, and more seamlessly get more care for your patient.” The job of many specialists is to be prepared to treat their patients for the long term. With being a part of a medical group there are things that you give up but always for the better of the patient. “You give up a little autonomy but, overall, it’s a good mix because I don’t have to worry about the business side. I can focus on the medicine and caring for the patients and let other people help with things like navigating insurance, referrals and all that other stuff.”
When he is not dedicating his time to treating his patients Dr. Charles Young loves to stay active and in-shape. “I do master’s swimming, a triathlon or two, but there isn’t much time for that” At home he stays very busy with his two young children and wife who is also a physician at a local pediatric group. Dr. Young also loves traveling when he gets the chance. “…you do not always find the work-life balance every week but on the whole I try to strike that balance because otherwise you are going to deal with burnout and will not be able to give the best care to patients.”

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