"Unfortunately, this happens. If it hasn't happened to a physician, he or she just hasn't had enough experience yet, because it will happen. When it does, the quality of a physician can be defined by how he or she summons and orchestrates help to get the job done right. The patient comes first, so there's no room for pride at his or her expense."

Everyone has limits and no one physician can do everything. Unfortunately, this realization can become very ugly when it doesn't make itself obvious until you're in the thick of things. A wrong answer to this question is one in which you come off as some sort of maverick who is more like a gambler than an innovator, at the patient's expense. A right answer is one in which unforeseeable events transpire, which cause you to raise your game as well as ask for help, putting your patient first.

"Surgery is one thing in which an urgency can develop that doesn't care about my knowledge or training, so things can arise for which getting the right help to address it properly should be done--and should be done as no reflection on me."