Dr. Buck Parker, MD

Me walking into 2020 w boots and no helmet cause that’s how I roll. Happy NYE everyone. I get a lot of questions like “what do I do w my life?” Here’s my take....answer these questions. What do you love to do? WHO (like what demographic) do you like to help? HOW do you like to help them? WHAT are you REALLY good at...like what do you have an advantage in over others? Answer those questions and you’ll be on the tight path in 2020. Cheers!!! 🎉🍾

Don’t forget to step back and look at the big picture once in awhile. Also, we can’t see that far so don’t look too hard. — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2lo3JvJ

Happy 4th America...you filthy animal! You guys stay home and have fun I’ll be here taking care of sh*t. Thank you to all the staff for working on this holiday. You alright in my book:) — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2JqBhS2

“Is there anything in life besides being really, really, reaaaallyy ridiculously good looking?” -Zoolander. I mean if we are talking Instagram life then the answer would be a hard no. But what is better than being ridiculously good looking in a little box on a mobile device is that real life sh*t. I recently changed up some things in my life to make more room for...uh...well...LIFE, and it’s going pretty damn good. I dropped one of my jobs (yes I had 2 surgeon jobs, 5 web businesses, and a few other things pulling me in different directions) for a long time. But this winter when I was standing in the middle of the Canadian Rockies staring at the 100s of miles it peaks and valleys I just realized I should live A LOT more. And I realized that TIME is more important than being ridiculously good looking (although on our planet it just barely eeeks out to be the winner unfortunately). So, I decided to make a lot more time for myself and the people around me who I’ve tortured for the last..ohhh 2 decades. They say I’m not as much of a d*ck as I used to be (although idk being a d*ck is kinda fun in some aspects but it really doesn’t get you very far...just give you a really great feeling for like 7 seconds then it goes away disappears like a b***r in grandmas living room). So, I’m gonna take some of my own advice, LIVE more, focus on a few things that I’m reeeally good at, and still save lives at work. (I did an emergent cricothyroidotomy about a month ago...that was dope). With all that being said you can’t get somewhere great by sitting on your lazy a$$ and wishing and hoping. As they say, you can wish in one hand, and sh*t in the other, and we’ll see which one fills up first. So work hard, kick a$$, save lives and make sure one of those lives is your own. got Thea sweet scrubs from — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2FnoOxm

Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker. It’s a quick read but a good one. Main idea- don’t focus on your weaknesses. You can spend your entire life improving on your weaknesses and you’ll be lucky to be mediocre at those. Instead, focus on improving and being excellent at something that comes natural to you. This way you have a shot at beating the absolute f&$cking sh*t out of everyone in that field, being a superstar and realizing your full potential. Love that message. — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2wGdeJ9

Whatever you are doing, I highly recommend having fun while you’re doing it. This is a concept I forgot while I was in residency getting my a$$ handing to me on a daily basis. About 2 years after I got out I read a book by Richard Branson. He said he made a decision to have fun in whatever business he was tackling at the time, or he wasn’t going to take it on. I then read another book by a different author that said our brain function improves when we are happy. I’m not sure if I was supposed to read those 2 books in succession of each other but it sure looks like to me that if we focus on being happy first, we can reach our goals a little easier. I kinda wish I knew that at 22. Your welcome millennials. Saturday on. 🤙🏻 — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2VVV7gl

Friday Night Lights. — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2WlhcSw

“The origin of genius is 1% inspiration & 99% perspiration.” -Thomas Edison. For a medical career I might change that to 99% preparation & 1% inspiration. Preparation is everything in surgery. If you prepare well enough, things go as you planned, and even when they don’t, you’ve already prepared for things to not go as you planned and so you already have a plan for that! The further down the road you can prepare and anticipate the smoother things go for you and your patient. That’s why it’s probably comforting to see a doctor with lots of gray hair...cause they have experienced a lot of problems and can anticipate them. But for us with less gray hair a good way to make up for our less experience is to watch and listen and ask lots of annoying questions to those with gray hair even if they don’t have the coolest clothes this year...turns out they don’t really need cool clothes to be cool when you start to see some of that dope ass knowledge they have. Watched listen and learn, they’ve already made the mistakes so you don’t have to. “Making good decisions comes with experience, experience comes with making bad decisions.” -Unknown — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2GAMdwB

What instrument is your favorite in your line of work? Mine is the Bookwalter retractor (sorry not in this pic Ive been in a tight squeeze for new content lately w the leg and all 😂) It’s a big metal ring with lots of attachments that’s allows the surgeon to hold the abdomen open and organs in specific places without a moving and whiney intern haha. It’s my favorite cause if I get the Bookwalter out I know it’s a real “single port maximumly invasive surgery”. That’s when you know sh*t is getting real and you better pay attention. Most of my surgeries with the Bookwalter are emergent, the patient is sick, and I gotta be on my game. I guess it kinda makes me feel a bit like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, we are the same height, he’s maybe slightly better looking than me (idk that is debatable really) and I get to yell things like “I got the need...the need for speed!!!” Ok I don’t yell that cause I’m standing still but I do yell things like “Hello pancreas....we meet again!” My wingman dies (the first assistant leaves for a break or lunch) and I’ve been known to buzz the tower in my career (Using the Bovie millimeters away from the Common Bile Duct) So yea, it’s pretty much the exact same thing in the OR as the movie...so when I see the Bookwalter, I get that lovin feeling.... Tell me your fav instrument! — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2VTMiQV

“Drive” is a book by Daniel Pink. In it he talks about the 3 main motivators of human production. Autonomy, Mastery & Purpose. I like surgery because it gives me all three of these. I make my own decisions in regards to patient care. I get to continually improve on a skill set (mastery) and helping other people day in and day out with my skill set gives me a feeling of purpose. Find that for yourself and I think you’ll be much more motivated to get up and go to work everyday. Tell me how your current or future career lines up with these in the comments! — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2IuCF8y

I’ll have to admit I was pretty nervous about getting back to work after my injury. Sunday was kinda rough I only did 2 cases but my foot hurt like hell. Monday was improved a bit but today I feel wayyyy better. The bottom of my heel has been numb since I injured it, but the last 24 hrs it’s starting to get some feeling back. Maybe that and the increased movement with working has helped put the injured tissue. Anyway, it’s sure nice to feel semi-normal, even if I have to round w this ridiculous scooter. Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday. Keep fighting the good fight out there:) — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2VPhzoi

Ah yes Sunday...the day I gets to leisurely awake from my deep slumber, slowly walk down to the kitchen and carefully grind and brew my succulent coffee shipped directly to me from Ethiopia after being hand picked and sorted by the natives (you know the more coffee I buy the more Ethiopians I save). Then I will open the shades, and watch the snow fall softly as my hands are warmed by the gentle radiant heat provided by the worlds finest coffee brewed from the worlds finest coffee maker. As I’m about to take my first sip and enjoy the light caramel notes combined with a smooth vanilla almond flavor I hear a loud buzz. BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ. And I realize I was dreaming about being a normal person on a Sunday...but it’s 5am, I’ve got a bum wheel, 20 patients on the list and a 7:30am start time for my first case....yes on Sunday. So I roll out of bed, grab my knee roller, wheel myself to the bathroom and take a p**s. I eat some toothpaste, throw on some scrubs, grab my badge and put on this ridiculous brace that allows me to hobble down the stairs like wounded duck. I put the scooter in the car, drive to work and start my day by 7. Better luck next Sunday. Comment if you often work on Sundays! — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2Dh8w8h

Been mostly at home not working in the hospital for the last couple weeks after breaking my calcaneus. Going from working a ton to not is quite a transition but I decided to use this time to refocus on some goals I have for 2019, specifically improving my Youtube channel. I’ve got bunch of great ideas for new videos but I’m always open to you suggestions! Let me know your ideas for videos in the comments below! — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2UXs77o

Sometimes you finish a 48 hour shift, clean up and start heading home, thinking you're finally about to get a break. 10 minutes into your drive, you get called back to the hospital because a new patient has an emergency. This is the life of a surgeon. Yes, sometimes it’s rough. How do you make it through when the going gets tough, whether that's in work, school or life in general? The answer: have a warrior's mentality. There are 2 parts to this. First, understand that life isn't fair. Be PREPARED for the sh*t to hit the fan. That way, nothing can frustrate you, because you knew going in that things were going to get crazy, and you're mentally ready to take on the challenges. Second, understand that every time you go through a tough time, you're building your tolerance to tough situations. Every challenge makes you stronger. When you have this mentality, things get a little easier to endure. Because if you're not there for your patients, who will be? Be a warrior for your patients. That means being mentally ready to tackle whatever gets thrown your way, no matter how hard it gets. — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2YZcWtD

Like I said yesterday, your words define you. The word can’t, will define you if you let it. Stop that sh*t. Just replace can or will or going to with can’t for one week. First notice how many dang times you say can’t, then see how your perspective changes when u stop using that dumb word. Then come back in a week and thank me for your bad-assness that you now have😝 I mean...I’m like 💯 sure this ninja word stuff works cause I tell myself I’m good looking all the time and look...it WORKED🤪 Tag someone who needs to hear this! — view on Instagram http://bit.ly/2G2sbdU

Yea so there’s good news and bad news. Bad news is I broke my damn foot. Good news is I got this Porsche coffee mug in the mail this morning as a present for my birthday. All I can say is I guess let’s see where this adventure will take me. Pressure create force, force creates change, it’s up to us what type of change that will be. I might have heard that somewhere or I might have made it up, I’m not even sure it makes total sense. Just trying to talk myself into being positive right now 😂 I’ll keep you guys updated. — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2I7hzMf

Happy Doctors Day to all my fellow colleagues who have sacrificed so much of their lives for the well-being of others. I would also like to acknowledge this 12 year old kid right here for getting out there and doing what had to be done to make dreams come true. Way to go kid. I don’t know how you did it but you did. (Thanks Auntie for the photo:) — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2CNx9cm

What someone who doesn’t looks like when they don’t give up. — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2HAZHcm

Call Day 18/18. “Damn it feels good to be a gangsta..” - Geto Boys 1992 — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2HaDnHi

Some days I open a belly full of blood and stool and do an emergent right Hemicolectomy in a dying elderly patient. Other days I do an incision and drainage of a 1.5cm “abscess”. The good thing about general surgery is you can do almost anything. The bad thing about general surgery is that you can do almost anything. ? — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2Calu79