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A P R I L 2 0 1 4 | O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
Paula Watkins, RN, CNOR
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Things That Make You Go Hmmm
I don't stay in one OR for long, but I don't miss much while I'm there.
I
f you've been at your job for years, you've probably stopped notic-
ing the little things about life in the OR that make you go Hmmm.
After a while, it all blurs together, lost in the rut of the routine. But
as a traveling nurse, every few months I'm assigned to a new OR, cir-
culating, scrubbing and observing the delicious fun playing out in the
background. My typical assignment lasts 13
weeks. Not much time, but long
enough for me to notice.
• Why are surgical staffers like
that?
I've often heard hospital
employees remark that OR
people just seem less friendly
than those in other depart-
ments. While we might
appear robotic, methodical
and in a hurry, we're not
that cold. (Well, sometimes
we need to wear 2 scrub
jackets.) We're compas-
sionate and care about our
patients. (We just prefer
them to be asleep, so we can
get to work.) And if you want
to see us express emotion, check
back when a co-worker isn't pulling
her weight, something electronic
stops working or the surgeon is wearing his
scrub pants like a plumber (crack alert in OR1!).
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