it's buying them lunch or knowing how they perform surgery, instru-
ment by instrument and suture by suture.
Surgeons want to be busy enough to make a good living, but have
enough free time to enjoy life outside of the OR, says Dr. Ruggieri.
"They want to care for patients during the day and sign off at night
without having to worry about getting called, and that's not necessari-
ly a bad thing," he says.
Surgery consumed Dr. Ruggieri when he was younger, and many
surgeons of his generation remember leaving Thanksgiving dinners to
care for their patients. "We wanted it that way to be honest and, unfor-
tunately, our families suffered because of it," says Dr. Ruggieri.
He pauses before adding, "Today's surgeons have a lot to consider."
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