Three spine surgeons sound off on the books that have influenced their professional lives.
Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.
Next week's question: What techniques and technologies should no longer be used in spine care? What are some alternates?
Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, April 5, at 5 p.m. CST.
Question: What is the best book you have read in the past year that has made an impact on your career?
Plas T. James, MD. Spine Surgeon at Atlanta Spine Institute: A book that has impacted my career would be Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. It's about how people become great, what success means to different people and learning about what it takes to make it in any field. I think it's been my favorite book so far this year, and I think it allows me to remember that no matter what your profession is, you have to [put in] the time to become the best you can be.
Kern Singh, MD. Co-Director of Minimally Invasive Spine Institute at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush (Chicago): "Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg. The book elucidates the roles of habits in one's daily life and thought processes. By reprogramming small negative habits into positive ones, you have the power to greatly improve the productivity of anything you involve yourself with. Personally, I focused on incorporating habits associated with locating potential study candidates into the workflow of my clinical team. These changes allow me and the team to handle a hectic clinic day while enrolling patients for multiple studies, resulting in a productive clinical research group.
Vladimir Sinkov, MD. Spine Surgeon at New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center (Nashua): "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand. If you have read it, you will understand.