Not entirely true. Pathology or radiology has nearly zero interaction with patients, and they bill quite high.

You could probably coast along in surgery as well on almost zero interpersonal skills.

My eye doctor doesn't have great interpersonal skills. He made me feel like I was wasting his time when I asked a question. He always answered them, though, and he did cataract surgery really well. I wasn't paying him for his interpersonal skills.

Every profession also has its own social / cultural norms, regardless of the general level of interpersonal skill / communication skills / emotional intelligence (they all overlap) needed to succeed in that work environment.

If by nature and nature you are in line with said norms, that’s one thing. If you’re not (which isn’t a good or bad thing, just is) then you’ll probably need more of those aforementioned interpersonal skills than someone who “fits the profile” (especially when the profile is maybe not even a deliberate thing that people are aware of), so to speak.

Truth be told learning to develop more interpersonal skills is a _plus_. It’s so valuable in life in general, well beyond the workplace.