Medicine Graduate: 1996

As owner and sole physician of Waco Primary Care, Karl M. Trippe, MD, will occasionally ask another physician to cover for him, but otherwise, he says, “I’ve had my phone on for 10 years.” He even answered a call right before walking his daughter down the aisle at her wedding – although, he he did say he’d have to call them back.

Trippe recognizes that the always-on-call lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but he values the autonomy — the ability to take as much time with a patient as he wants, for instance, and to make referrals without in-house corporate pressure.

The result, he says, is a strong personal relationship with his patients. “I don’t think I’ve bought a carton of eggs in I don’t know how long,” he says with a chuckle.

Trippe does hope to add a partner in the next year, with a goal of someone taking over the practice in 15 or 20 years. He would like nothing better, he says, than to identify a like-minded physician to continue the independent path he’s forged. — Tina Hay