Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Pushing For Change - July 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/1268525

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 8 of 110

tives that can inspire new thinking and innovative ideas. I spoke to Ari Collins, the surgical tech who appears on this issue's cover, about the bigotry she's endured and the racism she's faced throughout her 18-year surgical career. Ari shared her stunningly honest insights of what's it's like to be an African American woman in a predominantly white profession. At the end of our hour-long conversation, I was more informed of her perspective and the inner turmoil she endures just to feel like she fits in among the teams she works with each day, let alone thrive in her chosen career. "You keep your guard up if you're constantly the only minority in an environment," said Ari. "It's an exhausting state in which to function, and it takes an emotional toll." I told Ari about our plans to launch a new column to increase awareness of the need for more acceptance and inclusion in sur- gery, and to turn words into actions. She told me it will be impos- sible to ignore the shared perspectives of individuals from various organizations in different parts of the country. She also volun- teered to be a regular contributor. I asked Ari what individuals can do on the smallest of levels to help address a problem that seems too big to solve. "Just reach out," she said. "One of my coworkers approached me after George Floyd was killed and said, 'I can't even imagine.' That was enough to show she cared. It opened a floodgate of pent-up emotions." Ari told me some colleagues have asked her how she's doing during this tumultuous time. "It's a nice gesture, but it's also a loaded question," she said. "Did they really want to know? We would have been there for a while." It's a time to share, and a time to listen. Let's keep the conversation going. OSM J U L Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T • 9

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Outpatient Surgery Magazine - Pushing For Change - July 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine