Jake, a PT at Mountain View Hospital, is recognized by staff there for his excellent work not only with patients, but also with staff — many of whom have received his assistance over the years for work-related aches and pains. In fact, he's widely known at the hospital as "The Man With the Magic Hands." It's a description he both appreciates and tries his best to self-effacingly deflate. For instance, when he arrived at work recently with an adhesive bandage on one of his fingers, he told drily curious staff, "The magic clearly wasn't working when I closed the bathroom door on my thumb."

Jake's always careful, though, not to take shortcuts or treat staff any differently than he would any patient when he's wearing his PT hat. He doesn't believe in quick "water cooler consults." He always asks staff who approach him with a physical issue to set up an appointment with him through the outpatient scheduler.

"Any on-the-spot read or advice that I could give you might not stand up under closer scrutiny," he explains in such cases. "I owe you the same comprehensive assessment that I'd give to any patient, so that I can make fully informed determinations about your care — even if it's something that might seem relatively minor to you. If whatever's bothering you is significant enough for you to ask me about it, it merits sufficient scrutiny."