While growing up, Dr. David Gossman, an otolaryngologist with BayCare Clinic Ear, Nose & Throat, admired his father – a lot.
Gossman’s father was an oculoplastic surgeon. That’s an ophthalmologist who has been extensively trained in both ophthalmology and plastic surgery.
It was no surprise to anyone that knew Gossman that he likely would one day practice medicine like his father.
“I really looked up to my father and he seemed to really enjoy the work he was in,” Gossman says. “I admired his work ethic. I was able to see the admiration patients had for him and the way he was able to help people and that seemed very rewarding to me. And I said early on that that’s something I’d like to be able to do – a job where the ultimate goal is to make other people’s lives better.”
Surprisingly, Gossman, a Kentucky native, veered from his interest in medicine (and his father’s footsteps) for a while as an undergrad at the University of Indiana.
“Because I knew I was going to medical school and would be spending the rest of my life studying science and medicine and biology and what not, I was actually a history major as an undergrad because I had a strong interest in it,” he says.
But Gossman followed his father’s footsteps much closer than he realized.
“I didn’t know this before going to college, but my dad was actually a history major, too. I didn’t even know that.”
After receiving his undergraduate degree, Gossman moved back to Kentucky where he attended medical school and completed his residency at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
Gossman’s interest in ear, nose and throat medicine began during his medical school rotations.
“In my rotations when I was a medical student, I knew I wanted to do some type of surgery,” he says. “I did some rotations in plastic surgery, neurosurgery and ear, nose, and throat and neck surgery – which were the three things I was kind of thinking about doing. I liked all of them to be honest but in the end, I had to make a choice and I seemed to interact more favorably with the faculty in the ear, nose and throat department.
“I spent a little extra time with the ENT service and really felt that that was the specialty that best suit me. That’s when I really developed a strong interest in the specialty.”
Gossman says several things led him to pursue a career in ear, nose and throat medicine.
“One of them is that in ear, nose and throat you get to treat a wide spectrum of age ranges. I get to interact with little six-month-olds all the way up to elderly patients as well. It’s nice because you get a diverse patient group and get to see a lot of different age groups,” he says.
Part of Gossman’s practice philosophy includes closely involving his patients in the treatment decision-making process.
“I like to try to understand what’s bothering them and educate them about what options they have for managing their problem and then work with them to come up with a solution that both they and I are happy with,” Gossman says. “What works for one patient may not be the ideal approach for another patient.”
Gossman credits his medical team for his day-to-day successes.
“I’m fortunate to have a great team around me,” he says. “From my nursing staff to the anesthesiology team to the preop nurses and postop nurses – I may be ultimately responsible for all of it but it requires so much other input and we are lucky to have such a quality team around us here.”
Gossman has practiced with BayCare Clinic Ear, Nose & Throat since 2014.
Outside of work, he spends time with his family fishing, elk hunting, snowboarding and participating in watersports like wakesurfing and wakeboarding.