Dr. John Hyung Shim, MD

Dr. Shim and his office staff are amazing! From the very first call, everyone was patient and willing to answer any questions that I had regarding my injury, treatment options and recovery time. Less than a week after my surgery, a hurricane hit Florida. Dr. Shim, Jason and Cathie made sure that I had a way to reach someone if needed during that time. They never stop thinking about the well being of their patients.

I couldn't be happier with Dr. Shim, his staff and the outcome of my surgery.. I have a few months of healing ahead, but I am looking forward to playing golf and re-establishing my active lifestyle.

I was extremely pleased with the accurate diagnosis, the surgical procedure, the outcome and the followup by Dr. Shim and his assistant, Jason.

Dr. Shim, Jason Mazza and staff are very attentive and capable. I felt very comfortable trusting them with my spinal fusion.

My experience with Dr. Shim's office is something I can only describe as pleasant. I came into his office diagnosed with a large disc herniation between my L4 and L5 vertebrae that was detrimentally affecting my posture and mobility; I could not stand up straight, could not stand still for more than a minute or so and could not walk for more than five without needing to sit down and rest due to severe back pain. I had originally selected him to be my 2nd opinion on a surgery consult, however his office was able to see me before my original doctor would. I was thankful for his office's expediency because my condition had severely worsened over the prior four months, and I had been unsuccessfully trying to get a proper diagnosis of my injury for nearly two years. I was able to get an appointment scheduled five days out from my request. When I arrived at his office, I was in the waiting room for less than five minutes before his PA, Jason, brought me back to an observation room and performed the standard battery of tests I had done several times with multiple other doctors. He then consulted with Dr. Shim, who then talked to me and confirmed the original diagnosis as well as a need and willingness to do a discectomy to correct it. Both Dr. Shim and Jason were polite professionals and answered all of the questions I asked. When I arrived at his operating hospital for the surgery the following week, Dr. Shim made sure to swing by to see how I was doing and answer any new questions before I was put under anesthesia. Furthermore, during surgery he was able to determine that the herniated disc had bulged considerably more than the MRI indicated, and removed the extra material from my spinal canal to ensure that I would be pain free. The results from his work I feel are exceptional. I was standing straight and walking straight immediately after being brought to. I have experienced none of the typical complications that come from a surgery like this. By the third day post-op, I was walking with very little pain. By the fifth day, I was back to driving my car with a manual transmission. On the seventh, I was able to resume caring for myself, something I greatly struggled with before the surgery because I couldn't properly do things like carry laundry or wash myself, and another week later I was able to return to work. My follow-up appointment two weeks later was more of the same I had come to expect; expedient, professional and courteous service with as much attention to my concerns as was needed to mitigate them. I have continued to improve and am beginning to regain strength and flexibility through exercise. I have yet to have any recurrence of pain from my original injury. I am very satisfied with the work Dr. Shim and his PA Jason have done in regards to my injury and recovery. Ultimately, I hope to never repeat the experience but if it were to happen, I would go to Dr. Shim to work on my back again without hesitation. It's very clear to me that he both has the patient's best interest in mind and is excellent at what he does.

The visit was quick and exceptionally easy. The office was well appointed and we were made to feel very special while there. Highly recommend the Westchase office.

I go for epidural shots in my lower back for a lunar disc tear. Dr Shim is alway's nice and the staff is also very nice. I would recommend Dr. Shim highly

This surgeon is not knife-happy. He is most interested in the best outcome for the patient, which often does not require surgery. He does pain injections with the gentlest hand. His office staff is friendly and efficient, and is among the best staff of any medical provider I have visited.

The entire staff has been absolutely great. Dr Shim performed a cervical discectomy with fusion on me two weeks ago and I feel great! Jason, his assistant has been outstanding. He called twice after I went home from surgery to check on me. Great Job!!

Dr. Shim and his PA Jason Mazza provided me excellent care pre and post op following my recent surgery. Jason replied to all emails very quickly and even returned phone calls when I needed to speak directly with him. I would highly recommend Dr. Shim to everyone.

Conservative approach, great staff , projects confidence , amazing surgical team, relaxing office atmosphere.

Our daughter was diagnosed with severe scoliosis and the pediatric surgeon recommended surgery. We went to Dr. Shim for a second opinion as he is an experienced sugeon with great reputation and a very conservative approach to surgeries. There is a lot of research suggesting a high percentage of back surgeries are unnecessary and we did not want to risk such an invasive surgery with one opinion. Dr. Shim's office is very clean, staff is friendly, and no wait time. Most importantly, he gave our family as much time as we needed to ask and respond to questions. We never felt rushed which is rare in a doctors office.

I crawled into Dr. Shim's office 3 months ago with severe sciatic pain down my left leg due to a herniated disc. Although, I probably wasn't the nicest to anyone during this time; Dr. Shim and his entire staff were very compassionate and made every effort to keep me as comfortable as possible during my visits. After trying the conventional treatments (physical therapy, cortisone shot and 2 epidurals) there wasn't anything further other than to have surgery. My husband and I were fearful at the thought of surgery, but it turned out to be the best thing for me and I thank Dr. Shim, Jason, his office staff and the nurses at Mease Dunedin Hospital. This was by far the best care I had ever experienced in a hospital. I would and already have recommended Dr. Shim. Thank you for giving me my life back.

Searching for a surgeon that you want to be skilled, confident & understanding is no easy task. You need not look any further! Dr. Shim is the complete package. He is skilled, he knows what he is doing. He is confident in his ability. He speaks to you in a level you understand. He follows up. He has an assistant who mimics him completely & has been with him for many years. Put yourself at ease - you found what you are looking for by going to Dr. Shim.

Dr. Shim listened to my concerns and worked with me. He made me feel confident in his ability to perform my spinal fusion. My surgery was just 3 weeks ago and I already have more mobility than before. My arm and hand pain is completely gone and the neck pain feels 90% better. So happy I found Dr. Shim and put my trust in him to perform such an important surgery!

I respected that my time was as important as his on my first and every subsequent visit. However I truly appreciated his and Jason's conscientious discussions regarding my symptoms. But best of all, the solution. I am pain free. And the surgery was so well performed that the following two weeks were virtually pain free. Absolutely recommend he and his team.

This was the best decision of my life. I had trouble with my lower back for over 15 years. I tried every therapy you could think of. However, the disks in my lower back were just too far gone. I went to Dr. Shim for injections to ease the pain for a couple of years until finally I told him I needed the surgery. I had my surgery 7 weeks ago and I feel great! I should have done this many years ago. Thank you Dr. Shim (and Jason).

I had back-surgery several decades ago, and it was not a pleasant experience. I was thus very reticent about seeing a doctor again, but the pain and discomfort became too intense. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find the most qualified doctor to advise me and finally came upon Dr. Shim. He was not located near my home, but was the only physician that had the experience I was seeking. This may have been the best decision in my life. He and his office staff were great. Dr. Shim took an enormous amount of time explaining what options I could pursue. He was never dictatorial, and was always very clear and patient with his explanations. After several consultations, and attempts to reduce my pain with other methods, I finally elected the surgical path. I had low expectations, but the surgery went smoothly, and the results were immediate. For the first time in years, I can walk without pain, and feel as though I have my life back. It has truly been a positive life-altering experience.

I went to see Dr. Shim for a badly herniated disc. After taking a conservative approach to recovery, we decided to have a microdiscectomy. At 3 weeks post-op, I feel better than I have in many months. The surgery was successful and recovery is going very well.

First surgery, had know idea what to expect. Everything was explained and completed with great results. Thank you