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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
think the development of disposable gowns and drapes was also
a smart idea. Gloves are necessary to avoid contact with not-so-
pleasant things, but I'm glad we're using more and more of the
kind that won't set off violent allergic reactions. Hand hygiene is
more convenient, too: You can get a lot more done when you
don't have to do a 10-minute scrub before every single case.
… surgeons (many of them) can control their passions (a.k.a. anger).
I'd say that only about 1% of the surgeons working today still
throw things in the OR. The rise of ASC physician-owners may
have brought this percentage down, since they're more attuned to
case costs. It's like the old days, when surgeons bought their own
instruments and got their names engraved on each piece. Those
engravings were a saving grace to the circulator, since the sur-
geon wasn't likely to throw and risk breaking his own tools.
(Then again, he might've just laid them down and thrown some-
thing else.)
… nurses (more of them) are willing to welcome the future.
If you're
of a certain age, then you're also seeing a lot of new faces enter
the field. Maybe you'll recall the harsh education you received at
the hands of experienced nurses when you first arrived on the
job. Hopefully you've reached the conclusion that that's no way
to retain the people who are bringing fresh life to our profession.
"Baby nurses" aren't prey, they're the future. And, since we're not
getting any younger, these young women and men will be the
ones taking care of us when it's our turn to be patients. I'm more
than thankful whenever I've been able to take a new nurse under
my wing and help her to learn what will end up being her pas-
sion, as — thankfully — it has been mine.
OSM
Ms. Watkins can be reached at
pwatk ins12@comcast.net
.
