A few months after retiring from a children’s hospital in Southern California—where he’d founded a group called Pediatric Surgical Associates and later became Surgeon-in-Chief at the pediatric hospital—Ali R. Kavianian, MD, FACS, began to reconsider his decision to hang up his stethoscope and white jacket.
“Following a conversation with some friends, I started to reevaluate my plans,” recalls the pediatric surgeon. “The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to explore my options.”
Realizing he didn’t have to give up practicing altogether to enjoy the benefits of retirement, Dr. Kavianian accepted his first locum tenens assignment in December 2011, 10 months after he’d initially bid farewell to his career.
Ali R. Kavianian, MD, FACS (right), pictured with C. Everett Koop, MD, in 2006 at Dr. Koop’s 90th birthday celebration. (Dr. Kavianian was a fellow of the late, former Surgeon General of the United States.)
“I told my consultant, Meagan McIntyre, I wanted to practice roughly one week to 12 days a month,” he says. “My first opportunity was scheduled over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays at a large acute care facility in the Midwest. Before I’d even completed it, I knew working locum tenens part-time was the right choice for me.”
For just under a year, Dr. Kavianian has recurrently accepted engagements at another facility in America’s heartland. “My assignments at this particular location have been nothing short of excellent,” he says. “Everyone is friendly and respectful. Additionally, I’ve been able to experience medical cases I’d not previously encountered.”
One such case involved an infant with massive intra-abdominal bleeding who required an operation four hours after she was born. “The prenatal ultrasound disclosed two calcification spots in the baby’s abdomen,” says Dr. Kavianian. “Following her full-term birth, the baby displayed difficulty breathing and a large abdomen, which required intubation.”
The newborn’s condition rapidly deteriorated, and she was transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit. Despite a slight improvement after aspiration and continuous transfusion, the child’s condition worsened. Her abdomen became more distended and her blood pressure dropped to 2-3; a dispatch decision for surgery was made.
“At surgery, a multioculated tumor, which filled the entire abdominal cavity, was found,” says Dr. Kavianian. “It was successfully removed, resulting in the termination of bleeding and blood loss. The post-operative course was remarkably good, and the baby recovered rapidly. About 12 days after surgery, she was discharged.”
David Laderman, director of Weatherby Healthcare’s Surgery Division, says Dr. Kavianian has made a significant impact on colleagues and other staff at the facility. “Upon learning of his decision to begin accepting temporary placements closer to his home state, the hospital’s president expressed she would be sad to see Dr. Kavianian leave. She told us he has made a special place in the hearts of everyone at the facility.”
Dr. Kavianian urges all clinicians approaching retirement to consider practicing locum tenens for the rewarding experience it can offer and the new things they can see. “You will have freedom and the ability to practice,” he says. “It is the best of both worlds.”
