1 8 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 2 0
I
'm known for crafting sur-
gical caps made of bright
colorful fabric and giving
them to my colleagues as
small gestures of how much I
appreciate working with them.
We're covered in PPE from
head to toe during surgery, so
it's fun to add a little color and
personality to the sea of OR
green. Inspiration struck while
I was caring for a pediatric
patient who was about to undergo an emergency appendectomy. The
patient was inconsolable until I began to point out the animals on the
cap of the anesthesia provider. To get me started, my coworker gave
me a cap-making pattern made of blue wrap. I brought it home, pulled
some fun patterns out of my fabric stash and started sewing. What
began as a personal hobby to make a few caps for myself has evolved
into me receiving requests from interested colleagues. During the
COVID-19 outbreak, staff members outside of our surgical department
began wearing reusable caps as an added layer of protection, so I
recently made and donated 50 caps to the hospital for distribution.
There are several templates to choose from on Etsy if you want to
add a little fun and flair to your ORs (osmag.net/dNwX3Z).
Kristen Dirksen, RN, AND
Valley View Hospital
Glenwood Springs, Colo.
kristen.dirksen@vvh.org
MADE WITH LOVE
Homemade Surgical Caps Are a Big Hit
ARTS AND CAPS Kristen Dirksen, RN, AND (right), gifts caps to her
colleagues to add color and personality to the OR.
Kristen
Dirksen,
RN,
AND
Ideas Work
That
