Your clinical work in Dyersburg centers on the essential general surgery procedures that communities depend on but often struggle to access. This is bread-and-butter surgery at its most rewarding: gallbladder disease, hernias, appendectomies, breast procedures, skin and soft tissue cases, and the colonoscopies and upper endoscopies that keep patients healthy through early detection. You will see the full spectrum of patients who need a skilled general surgeon, from young adults with acute appendicitis to elderly patients managing chronic surgical conditions.
The patient population reflects the demographics of rural West Tennessee. You will care for hardworking families, agricultural workers, and retirees who appreciate a surgeon who speaks plainly and treats them with respect. Many of your patients will have established relationships with local primary care physicians who have been referring to this practice for years. The continuity of care possible in a community this size means you will follow patients longitudinally, seeing them for screening procedures, managing surgical conditions as they arise, and building the kind of patient relationships that make community surgery deeply satisfying.
The call structure for this position demonstrates the organization's commitment to sustainable practice. You will carry call responsibility for 21 days per month, which sounds substantial until you understand the actual call burden. In practice, you receive only one to two calls per month that require your direct involvement. The volume simply does not generate the constant interruptions that plague surgeons in busier settings. When acute surgical emergencies arise that exceed the scope of a community practice, patients are transferred to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital where the larger surgical team manages complex trauma and critical cases.
This arrangement gives you the security of knowing your nights and weekends are genuinely your own the vast majority of the time. You are compensated generously for your call availability, but you are not trading your personal life for that compensation. The phone rarely rings, and when it does, you are addressing true surgical needs rather than fielding calls that could wait until morning.
You will not practice alone despite being the primary surgeon. A Nurse Practitioner and APP work alongside you, providing clinic coverage, managing post-operative patients, and handling the routine follow-up care that keeps your schedule focused on surgical decision-making and procedures. This team has been maintaining clinic operations during the current vacancy, ensuring continuity of care for established patients and keeping referral relationships active.
The support structure extends beyond your immediate team. West Tennessee Healthcare provides the administrative infrastructure, credentialing support, and operational resources that allow you to focus on patient care rather than practice management. The surgical team at Jackson serves as a referral resource and collegial network, giving you access to subspecialty consultation when cases warrant additional expertise.
The practice operates on the Epic electronic medical record system, giving you access to a platform you likely already know and that integrates smoothly with the broader West Tennessee Healthcare network. Patient records, imaging, and documentation flow between Dyersburg and Jackson, facilitating seamless care coordination when patients require services at the larger facility.
Looking ahead, West Tennessee Healthcare has committed to bringing robotic surgery capabilities to Dyersburg by 2027. This investment signals the organization's long-term commitment to this surgical program and creates an opportunity for you to expand your procedural offerings once the platform is in place. For surgeons interested in robotic-assisted procedures, this timeline allows you to establish your practice and patient base before adding this technology to your surgical toolkit.
This clinical environment offers what many surgeons seek but rarely find: a manageable case volume of satisfying procedures, a call schedule that allows for genuine rest, and a support team that handles the work that does not require your surgical expertise. You will practice real surgery for patients who need you, then go home to your life outside the hospital.