Title Byline
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
1 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 | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Thanks for Everything
Changes large and small have improved OR nursing.
N
ovember is here, but before we pass the turkey and stuff-
ing, let's take a moment to reflect on what we're thankful
for. I'm thankful to be a longtime OR nurse. And, despite
my frequent grumbling about the modern miracles of malfunction-
ing technology and mountains of paperwork, I'm thankful for how
far the field has come.
I'm also thankful that …
… I don't have to sharpen needles
by run-
ning them through steel wool before boxing
them up and sending them to central ster-
ile. Needles of all sizes even have the suture
already swedged on now, though I have to
add that this is hardly a convenience for the
surgeon who's always asking for a type of
suture we don't have and never will,
because it isn't manufactured.
… I don't have to clean out glass jars
with
rubber stoppers for the next case. Plastic suction canisters may
circle the earth 100 times, but in my view they're a step up from
glass jars. Those rolling suction units that can handle a day's worth
of arthroscopy cases are better still. I've taken jobs based on what
kind of fluid waste management system the hospital uses.
… I don't have to take apart, clean and reassemble
those demonic
metal stapler guns, then hold my breath whenever they are in use,
hoping against hope that they won't fall to pieces in surgeons'
hands. Blessed be disposable staplers. Their inventors deserve a
standing ovation.
… surgical attire has improved
by leaps and bounds. I've always
appreciated single-use masks. Since cloth is a fluid absorber, I
SAVING GRACES There's a lot
to be thankful for in the pres-
ent-day OR.
