Physician Spotlight: Nicholas Czosnyka, M.D., General Surgeon, Monument Health Spearfish Hospital and Clinic

My Role 

I am one of three full-time general surgeons in Spearfish. My practice is broad. It focuses on taking calls to address emergencies such as appendicitis, cholecystitis and diverticulitis. I also do elective care such as hernia repairs, varicose vein treatments and endoscopy. I have a special interest in treating breast cancer and work closely with the medical and radiation oncology teams and Plastic Surgery in Rapid City to deliver comprehensive breast cancer care, with the surgical portion of treatment able to be performed at the Spearfish Hospital. Every day looks a bit different than the last, and that is one of the things I love about general surgery. Typically, I have one and a half scheduled days in the operating room, two days doing endoscopy, and the rest of the week is for visiting patients in the clinic.

My Goals

Most importantly, my goal is to take care of my patients with effective and safe surgery. I want people to feel like they can trust a recommendation I give for surgery and also understand their diagnosis completely when they walk out of my clinic. To accomplish that, I work to stay up to date on surgical best practice guidelines and always try to remember that there might be a better or different way to explain things that could make my message more clear.

My Passion

There are many parts of my profession that I love, but I am particularly passionate about helping my patients understand the why behind the recommendations I make. As a surgeon, I love to operate, because it is the nuts and bolts part of patient care that makes the difference in people’s lives, but I also really like talking to patients before and after surgery, helping to answer their questions and make sure they understand what to expect before and after surgery.         

I also am very fortunate to have a loving family and strong community here in Spearfish. We are active in our local church. I love listening to and playing music, particularly different styles of guitar music and I recently became passionate about home renovation projects.

My Team

There is a great team of nurses and tech that help in countless different ways; in the Clinic, OR, Endoscopy and the hospital. A surgeon can’t do it alone, and the foundation of support all around me is what makes the days flow so smoothly. I work with Kayla Hatten, CNP, directly. She is the nurse practitioner that works alongside me in the clinic and the OR. She does a great job seeing patients for all general surgery needs that I treat.

Photos by Kevin Eilbeck