The Rural American Surgeon
Welcome to ”The Rural American Surgeon,” a podcast series dedicated to providing insights, resources, and a community for the surgeons of rural America. Your host, Randy Lehman, is an established authority on the multifaceted aspects of rural surgery—from the unique professional benefits and challenges, rural surgical training paradigms, current reimbursement landscape, and how to create triple win opportunities for sustainable rural surgery in partnerships with hospitals and rural communities. This podcast is designed for both rural general surgeons and rural surgical specialists who are seeking not just advice and guidance on practicing in rural areas, but also inspiration to foster valuable partnerships across our great land. Each episode is a deep dive into topics such as mastery of rural surgery, the rural lifestyle, fighting professional isolation, building a system to ensure surgical services are offered at a high level, using scarce resources wisely, achieving personal financial freedom, accessing a wealth of outside surgical resources, and inspiration at a high level of why what we do is important.
Episodes
The operating room rewards preparation long before it rewards confidence.
In Part Two of this conversation, Dr. Randy Lehman continues mentoring medical student Jacob Steffen through the realities of surgical training: knot tying, OR etiquette, retraction, camera driving, tube placement, handling responsibility, and earning trust inside a surgical team.
Dr. Lehman explains why great surgical residents often separate themselve...
In surgery, responsibility comes before confidence.Medical students entering a Sub I are expected to manage patients, present clearly, stay organized, and earn trust before they feel fully comfortable doing it.In this Part One episode, Dr. Randy Lehman mentors medical student Jacob Steffen through rounds, presentations, list management, tube management, and operating room etiquette.Jacob explains why the students who stand out are ...
Today Dr. Lehman sits down with the most special guest, his daughter Charlotte.
And this time, she’s in the host seat asking the hard-hitting questions!
She covers everything from fear in the operating room to money, parenting, and of course, the grossest thing dad’s ever seen in surgery.
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Locums surgery is often treated as temporary coverage, but many rural hospitals rely on it to maintain consistent access to care. Surgeons step in without relocating, often filling roles that cannot support full time hires.
Megan Hoot, a physician recruiter at CompHealth, has spent over eight years placing surgeons into roles that often become long-term solutions. She has worked closely with Dr. Randy Lehman across multiple assi...
In rural surgery, there’s no “waiting until you feel ready.” There’s only action, because sometimes you’re the only one.
Dr. Scott Nelson, a colorectal surgeon in Grants Pass, Oregon, built a solo practice after losing his partner early in his career. What followed was years of figuring it out in real time, often without backup.
In this episode, Dr. Randy Lehman and Dr. Nelson break down what it actually looks like to grow into respo...
In rural surgery, not everyone fits the environment the same way.
The work doesn’t slow down, and the community expects you to stay, serve, and carry responsibility without backup.
Today Dr. Randy Lehman speaks with Dr. Jesse Van Maanen, a rural general surgeon practicing near where he grew up. They examine why surgeons with rural roots or early commitment tend to integrate more naturally, and why moving rural to escape a busy system...
A complex operation only works if it can be executed reliably inside the system you have.
In this Part Two episode, Dr. Randy Lehman continues with Dr. Cate Straub, focusing on how pancreatic surgery is actually performed without consistent teams, subspecialty backup, or standardized support structures.
She walks through operative sequencing, vascular decision making, and how technique changes when you cannot rely on experien...
She started with one distal pancreatectomy alongside a senior partner and built a referral base by handing out her personal phone number across rural Washington.
Dr. Randy Lehman and Dr. Cate Straub focus on what it actually takes to keep complex cancer care local when patients are otherwise absorbed into distant systems. Mentorship, referral control, and internal case review became the structure that made pancreatic surgery possibl...
In rural surgery, you are often the one covering problems that would be handled by multiple specialists elsewhere.
Today Dr. Randy Lehman speaks with Dr. Bob Sticca, surgical oncologist and national leader in rural surgery. They examine how rural training has evolved, why scope of practice remains wider, and which surgeons are most likely to build lasting rural careers.
The discussion centers on difficult gallbladders–including sub...
Rural patients shouldn’t receive lesser care simply because of geography. Delivering that standard takes intentional systems, good data, and the right team around you.
Dr. Randy Lehman sits down with rural surgeon and ACS Governor Dr. Jill Ties to talk about how she built a breast surgery program inside a critical access hospital in Wisconsin.
They walk through the real work behind it: aligning with administration, earning th...
Rural practice can feel isolating, especially when you’re the only surgeon in the building…
Dr. Randy Lehman sits down with Dr. Steven Bodney, former ACS Governor and longtime Indiana surgeon, to talk about what it really takes to build a durable career in that environment.
Dr. Bodney reflects on his Army training, transitioning into solo rural practice, and helping build a new county hospital from the ground up. He shares how he dev...
Today Dr. Randy Lehman reflects on the practices he employs to live a life of intention, including conferences, family rhythms, financial tracking, and the systems he’s built to avoid simply bouncing around through life.
From residency to rural practice, from debt payoff to financial independence, he shares the exact goal-setting framework he uses annually.
If you’re a surgeon trying to build a life of impact, margin, and intention...
Which is better, robotic or laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair?
In this Part Two episode, Dr. Randy Lehman is joined again by Dr. Amy Vertrees, founder of the BOSS Business of Surgery Series and a career coach for surgeons, for an in-depth technical breakdown of both approaches.
They compare every step of the operation, from port placement and mesh selection to managing seromas and preventing recurrence. You’ll hear practical pearls...
Today, Dr. Randy Lehman sits down with a surgeon who traded stability for autonomy.
Dr. Amy Vertrees, an Army-trained general surgeon who built a thriving private practice covering three hospitals, breaks down the challenges and victories of modern rural surgery.
They explore what makes rural practice unique, why fellowship isn’t always necessary, and how to build a surgical team that lasts.
Plus, a candid conversation on hernia repa...
Is it possible to build a surgical practice from scratch…on your terms…in the hometown you dreamed of serving?
Dr. Randy Lehman is proof that it is, and he’s an open book about his journey with the next generation of surgeons.
In this special Q&A episode, Dr. Lehman sits down with two med students from Baylor College of Medicine's Student Surgical Society to share the story of his path into rural surgery and how he’s ...
What happens when the plan…doesn’t pan out?
In the final episode of the Money Miniseries, Dr. Randy Lehman shares a behind-the-scenes look at launching Liberty Clinic, the independent rural practice he built from the ground up (and nearly had to shut down).
The episode covers the financial, emotional, and leadership challenges that come with going first in a rural environment. It’s about the limits of planning, the gift ...
In this episode of The Rural American Surgeon, host Dr. Randy Lehman is joined by renowned thoracic surgeon Dr. Shanda Blackmon. With a career spanning MD Anderson, Mayo Clinic, and now Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Blackmon brings a wealth of knowledge on lung and esophageal cancer screening, staging, and treatment.
They walk through practical approaches to lung cancer screening, esophageal reflux evaluation, staging worku...
We all want to set our kids up for success, but that doesn't just mean tossing them a pile of money.
In this episode, Dr. Randy Lehman shares how he talks to his kids about money, work, value, and responsibility—and why teaching them to earn and invest is more important than handing them a big inheritance.
From selling eggs to reading Laura Ingalls Wilder, he shares stories and ideas that shape how he's raising capable, ...
What happens when a seasoned Swedish surgeon shares his global perspective on bariatrics, rural surgery, and the personal cost of a life in the OR?
In this episode, Dr. Randy Lehman welcomes Dr. Adrian Sava, a bariatric and general surgeon based in southern Sweden. With nearly 30 years in surgery, Dr. Sava reflects on his journey through academic training, private practice, and cross-border rural surgery in Norway.
They dig into te...
In today’s installment of the Money Miniseries, Dr. Randy Lehman takes a personal turn into the topic of legacy and what it means to give well.
This isn’t just about donating money. It’s about stewarding what you have—finances, time, talent—with the belief that it was never yours to begin with.
From reflections on attending the memorial of Charlie Kirk, to the contrasting worldviews of justice vs. mercy, to practical insights on do...
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