The Quiet Surgeon

When the surgical quarterly bonuses were distributed, I had ninety-nine major operations to my name and received a check for sixty-five hundred dollars.

Our department head, Dr. Arthur Warren, hadn't held a scalpel all quarter. He took home a hundred thousand dollars, stood before the entire staff at morning rounds, and praised me for my "noble dedication" and "selfless spirit."

Right then and there, I announced my new policy: nine to five, out the door on the dot.

Within days, surgical backlogs clogged the schedule, and patient grievance lines were ringing off the hook.