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I grew up in the ‘80s in awe of my dad who was a talented general surgeon. As a kid, I used to make rounds with him at the local hospitals in Los Angeles and had the opportunity to witness the overwhelming appreciation his patients had for his work. Our home was inundated with dozens of homemade baked goods, knitted scarves, gift baskets, and colorful “thank you” cards carefully prepared by his patients. He never complained about his job. Even if he had to leave a family event or wake up in the middle of the night to do a trauma case ― he was never resentful. He felt invigorated by saving thousands of lives. He was grateful to be well compensated for his sacrifices. He worked extremely hard (sometimes putting in over one hundred twenty hours a week), but he was able to do his work the way he felt was best since he ran his own private practice. He was beloved, respected, and couldn’t imagine pursuing any other profession that […]