In my role as a chair, as well as a vascular surgeon, I find myself learning more each year — learning what makes a great partner, parent, surgeon and leader. As we reflect on this quarter’s many accomplishments, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a department that encapsulates the perseverance, tenacity, skill and dedication it takes to not only be a good surgeon, but an excellent one.
Each of our achievements are exemplary of the community we’ve created and how we strive to relate to one another. Like many departments, we’ve experienced challenges brought on by the lasting effects of the pandemic — but I encourage you to acknowledge these realities, and then look for the ways in which you are able to find joy in your calling as a surgeon. For many, you are the person between illness and a road to recovery, pain and a promise of relief, and the physician who can bring them, through your hard work and tireless dedication, hope for a better life.
There is a unique sense of camaraderie and community that comes from practicing surgery. We work closely with our colleagues and build strong relationships based on mutual respect and shared experiences. The sense of teamwork that comes from working together toward a common goal is incredibly rewarding; our relationships with our colleagues are built on mutual respect and the shared experiences of saving lives. I believe that the people, experiences and wins that leave you smiling or feeling lighter at the end of the day are your Joy Value Units. In order for you, individually, and the surgery community as a whole to be our best, we need to continue to increase your JVUs as much as your RVUs.
This issue of The Stitch contains but a few of this year’s JVUs thus far — I hope you’ll join me in reliving them.
Go Gators,
Gib