Have Scalpel - Will Travel

Tales of an Itinerant Surgeon

by Peter G. Roode, M.D.

Stories of 90 patients the author cared for during a 17-year career in locum tenens surgery, traveling to 74 different hospitals to fill in for surgeons temporarily away from their hospitals.

The stories illustrate the nature of surgery and surgical decision-making in caring for patients. The stories range from tragedies to triumphs with uplifting happy endings and illustrate the complexities of surgical care, especially in remote hospitals with limited resources. Some of the stories are illustrative of human foibles, but all are full of human interest.

Royal Palm Literary Awards- Gold at Hilton Altamonte Springs Hotel October 29, 2022

2022 Florida Writers Association Finalist

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Book Review

Having worked with Dr. Roode in the OR for many years, I was amazed to see how well he could put his observations to paper. He was an amazing surgeon, and is a great man who has the ability to pare the monumental to something manageable. His descriptive prowess brought me sweetly back to the days of OR, with all of its challenges, triumphs, and occasional sadness. This book should be recommended reading for anyone contemplating a career in medicine, and definitely before accepting a traveling career. This is also recommended reading for the general public; to understand that while the choices made by surgeons are not always simple, or easy to make; knowledge, experience, and Faith contributes.

Gail Kirst RN
Amazon customer

Ever wonder what your doctor’s thinking? Well, buckle-up, because these short stories and honest reflections may jar you like a roller-coaster ride, but the overall narrative is bound to entertain, inform, shock, or make you laugh-out-loud.
Peter Roode has a good heart, and this is reflected in his writing. I know the author and his wife, Betty, as volunteers, so I read Have Scalpel – Will Travel with much interest.
The author aims to entertain and inform medical students and the general public about a career called locum tenens medicine. Each story is based on notes from his 17-year career as a general surgeon providing temporary coverage at hospitals in 18 states, but details have been fictionalized to protect patients’ privacy.
I found each story thought-provoking, interesting, or informative, and at times tragic, but there are enough “feel good” stories and adventures here, even laugh-out-loud moments, to keep you turning pages to see what will happen next.
The author has created a narrative arc that builds suspense and leaves one wanting one more story after another. Dr. Roode’s honest reflection, courage, wit, and powers of observation will attract readers.
Unfortunately, I must say I noticed several typos, so I gave this book a rating of four-stars-out-of-five.
Still, the author’s thoughtful reflections on general surgery, no easy task, and on the human condition, will win readers and inspire some to explore the career of locum tenens medicine for themselves. This book includes footnotes, a glossary of medical terms, and a few photos.

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Patricia Carr, Librarian

About the Author

Peter G. Roode, M.D.

Peter G. Roode, M.D. spent most of his childhood in Africa, where his father worked as a physician in South Sudan. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1962 and entered the Navy to apply for their Nuclear Power Program but was offered an assignment at the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington, DC. During his time with the Naval Reactors Program, he took evening classes at George Washington University. He quit the Navy to take up medicine at Penn State University, College of Medicine.

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Have Scalpel- Will Travel

Peter Roode|Feb 10, 2023| Book

My book, HAVE SCALPEL - WILL TRAVEL contains the stories of some 90 of the thousands of patients I cared for during a...