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tions each have their own jobs to carry out. They watch who's calling the
shots and they try to figure out who's the most valuable player.
Is the surgeon the quarterback, or the coach? Is the charge nurse the
coach, or the referee? Maybe we all play different positions at different
times. Everybody wants to be making the plays and nobody wants to be on
the sidelines, but there's an argument to be made that it's the voices and
action from the sidelines that get us through the case and through the day.
Once upon a time, I was a cheerleader, and I know them to be strong,
tough, smart, lean and sometimes mean individuals. Cheerleading is even
considered a sport now, by no less of an authority than the American
Medical Association.
Stunt doubles
Cheerleading is a study in multitasking done gracefully. Kind of like surgi-
cal nursing. Who among us hasn't loaded up both arms with the supplies
we've pulled, then used our hips to close drawers and open doors? We've
all climbed a pyramid of stepstools to fix elevated equipment with silk
tape. We should've gotten a round of applause that time we held a patient
safely on the OR table while sliding a supply table closer to anesthesia
with our foot.
Cheerleading is also about spirit and support. When it comes right down
to it, you could see the entire surgical team as a cheer squad. Like when
we really need a first down and the scrub says, "Hey doc, want me to get
that thing you liked last week?" Or when I'm losing yardage and someone
enters the room to ask, "You've been busy, can I get you something or give
you a break?" Or the way your heart starts pumping when anesthesia tells
the patient, "Take a deep breath, we're right here with you."
The cheerleader might just be the most important position on the surgi-
cal team. It's a role we should all aspire to.
OSM
Ms. Watkins can be reached at
pwatk ins12@comcast.net
.
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