and you have his. Whatever you forget, he has it in his hand. Whatever
he forgets to connect, you connect it. It's not about old nurse, new
nurse, or male or female, or who's right or who's wrong. It's all about
working together with one goal in mind: patient care.
11. working in a facility that recognizes the employees for their hard
work.
12. a young manager who is creative and energetic.
13. Ben Franklin, for inventing the flexible urinary catheter. Bet you
didn't know that!
14. inflatable transfer mattresses, which have saved a lot of surgical
personnel from injuries. Even with having 6 people helping (which sel-
dom happens), we've had multiple back and neck injuries trying to
heave-ho overweight patients onto and off of stretchers.
15. surgical techs and surgical aids, who have covered my butt more
times than I can remember. And I think they work harder than I do.
16. EMR. When it works, it's so much faster than charting by hand. I
have to admit, I went there kicking and screaming. But the first time
the electronic medical records system went down and we had to
chart by hand, I almost had a nervous breakdown.
17. my health. Yes, I have things that are beginning to wear out with
age and the nature of the job. In a few years I'll retire, and I think
that's scary.
18. that I've kept my sense of humor over the last 38 years, as well as for
the friendships I've made in and out of the OR.
19. Outpatient Surgery Magazine, for giving me the chance to
write, something I've wanted to do since the third grade.
20. You, my dear readers. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
OSM
Contact Ms. Watkins at pwatkins12@comcast.net.
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