Dr. John E Etlinger, MD

I'm a retired RN... I was scheduled and admitted for the first surgery of the day. The surgery time came and went, and the doctor didn't even show up. I turned my hospital identification band in and went home very angry after spending the preceding week in pain and dealing with all the grief of hospital admitting. This incident is a black eye and ethics violation both for the hospital and the surgeon.

The best Dr. Our family has ever had. Always there for us in any emergency. Loyal friend for life!

I was very fortunate to have Dr. E take care of me. Because of his experience, we caught the breast cancer early.

I was able to get an app the day after I called. I had been diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, but because my scans were inconclusive, neither of the 2 ENTs that saw me would do the surgery. Dr. Etlinger listened to my history and made sure that I understood what I had and what he would be doing. He is repeating the 2 scans and surgery is tentatively scheduled to happen in a week and a half. He was reassuring, very professional, yet quite welcoming. I never felt rushed. His staff was very friendly and helpful.

I had a complete thyroidectomy two weeks ago and was referred to Dr. Etlinger by my endo. His office staff is very nice, and very thorough. His waiting room is small (about 8 chairs), and I had to wait for 20-30 minutes to see him, but once I did, I was completely happy to wait. While he is very professional, he's not dry or unpersonable. He took time to draw pictures, answers questions, overview the surgery and give me a complete understanding of what to expect and any complications that may arise. He was confident without being overbearing. Pre-op he took the time to re-explain everything to me and even individually addressed the family members with me to make sure they understood what was going to happen. You don't find many surgeons like him anymore who still talk to you one on one. Post-op he came in and checked on me and made sure that I was comfortable before discharging me (he even had me stay an extra night in San Antonio at the hotel because we lived 2 1/2 hrs away and he… wanted me close in case I had an issue). Scheduling surgery took less than 10 minutes, and almost seemed TOO easy, but went quite smoothly and without a hitch. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Etlinger as both a man and a surgeon. It's been a long time since I've seen a doctor that cared as much as he does. If I ever (god forbid) have to have surgery again, this man will be my first pick.