Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Subscribers

Fair and Equal Pay? - January 2016 - Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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reconstruction. I gently whispered "Don't be afraid. I had the same surgery and did fine." To which the patient replied: "Yeah, but you did- n't have the same surgeon!" (Ouch!) As I teach our residents, ours is a vocation of service, not sales. One can never coerce someone into having elective surgery. I just wish the patient would give me more than 2 hours' notice that he's canceling! 'I overslept' I hear "Doc, the alarm didn't go off" and "My wife didn't wake me up in time" more than you imagine. For something as important as surgery, wouldn't you double- if not triple-check the alarm before retiring? And aren't most people nervous before their surgery and don't they have difficulty sleeping? I wonder if the 6-pack before mid- night had anything to do with this. 'The prison wouldn't cooperate' Getting the incarcerated patients I occasionally care for to sur- gery is a real ordeal. Surgery may be booked, but sometimes the events of the prison supersede the surgery schedule. Just recently, an inmate was to arrive at the surgicenter by noon, but was delayed because the prison was in lockdown. I hope the next date isn't bumped by another episode of inmate unrest. A blessing in disguise Cancellations will always be a common occurrence. Truth is, they are often a blessing, since they commonly occur on a day when a paper is due, a talk needs to be prepared or during a week when I have been MIA from my lovely wife, Marie. OSM Dr. Kelly (johndak4@gmail.com) is an orthopedic surgeon/sports-shoulder specialist who practices in Philadelphia, Pa. 3 4 J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 6 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 5 1

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