His solution was to leave his practice and spend the final three years of his career in locums positions in underserved rural areas. This creative solution allowed him the ability to control the amount of time he was working and schedule protected time off for recreational travel and family time, something a surgeon in private practice might otherwise have great difficulty in accomplishing. For those whose specialty is all or none, and whose personal circumstances permit (empty nesters come to mind) locums work offers a viable solution.