Melinda Thacker, MD

Melinda Thacker, MD Surgeon, Coach, Speaker, Writer

07/29/2026

How do you influence a parent who refuses Vitamin K for their newborn?

How do you tell a patient they have cancer or that their loved one died?

What you learned about communication in med school is probably wrong, and yet our profession is full of vulnerable and difficult convos.

Surgeons with Purpose episode 108 Difficult Conversations with Dr. Tony Orsini is a must listen for every physician. Not only will you be able to connect with patients during the worst moments of their lives but you’ll also learn the exact tools to protect your career and find more fulfillment at work.

Comment “podcast” or listen wherever you get yours.

07/26/2026

Maybe laziness is a myth. What do you think?

07/26/2026

I’m calling you out because I was you. I know what it’s like to feel like our only option to survive is to play the RVU/compensation game.

But that’s not the way. Perhaps I’m an idealist, but I believe that we can create a system that puts human connection and relationship, not profit, at the center.

07/24/2026

Something big is coming!

07/24/2026

Comment “success” to register for the masterclass.

3 Vital Steps to Create Success and Sustainability in Surgery

07/24/2026

It took me several years to realize that private practice did not align with my values (specifically the value of radical transparency). The conflict of interest between protecting the practice’s revenue and serving the patient was a form of self-induced moral injury that made me sick. And the pressure to milk every visit got worse as reimbursement dropped and overhead costs increased.

I believe in physicians being compensated for their worth, but I am adamant that compensation always be secondary to serving the patient first and foremost. I also think we need to need to protect private practices, which are going extinct. This is a both/and situation. But I am just one of those people who cannot tolerate a life that does not align with her values, and I couldn’t unstick revenue generation from showing up in service. So I walked away.

No judgment of those of you who are doing everything you can to keep your private practices alive. This was a “me problem” and something I did to myself.

07/23/2026

The knowledge in our brains matters less and our humanity matters more.

What do you think?

The safest ORs are led from below.
07/23/2026

The safest ORs are led from below.

07/23/2026

External validation is not bad. It just has to be secondary.

07/21/2026

Your work, in the face of litigation that goes to trial, is to learn how to tell yourself a different story about what happened. To see the facts as neutral and the jury as your ally. To love the jury.

Listen to Surgeons with Purpose episode 107: Becoming a Great Defendant with Heather Hansen wherever you get your podcasts.

Address

100 MLK Jr. Boulevard
Worcester, MA
01608

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

+15087570330

Website

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