Amy Vertrees

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT AMY VERTREES

I am a practicing general surgeon and the Managing Partner of Columbia Surgical Partners, where I lead clinical operations while actively caring for patients and rebuilding surgical services in a rural Tennessee hospital. I know surgery from the inside — the operating room, the call schedule, the complications, the leadership challenges, and the responsibility that follows us home long after cases end. Because the hardest parts of surgical careers are rarely technical. They are human. Most surgeons are exceptionally trained to operate but receive little preparation for navigating complications emotionally, managing difficult colleagues, negotiating career decisions, or leading within complex healthcare systems. Over time, even highly successful surgeons can feel overextended, unsupported, or uncertain about how to make medicine sustainable. My work lives at that intersection. As a Surgeon Strategist and founder of BOSS Surgeons, I help high-achieving surgeons move from surviving medicine to intentionally leading their careers — without leaving the profession they worked so hard to build. Through coaching, speaking, and education, I teach surgeons how to- navigate complications without self-punishment - communicate with confidence and authority - manage conflict and difficult professional dynamics - make clear career decisions at critical crossroads - build careers that are both successful and sustainable My approach integrates surgical experience, leadership development, and evidence-based decision strategy. I work primarily with female surgeons who are successful on paper but ready for greater clarity, autonomy, and professional fulfillment. In addition to clinical practice and coaching, I- Host the BOSS Business of Surgery Series podcast - Speak nationally on surgical leadership, professional fulfillment, and physician career sustainability - Mentor surgeons navigating transitions, leadership roles, and complex career decisions I believe surgeons deserve more than endurance. We deserve careers that allow us to practice excellent medicine while remaining whole, respected, and fulfilled human beings. If you are a surgeon at a professional turning point — after a complication, during leadership growth, or while questioning your next step — you are exactly who my work is designed to serve.