Halloween is next week! How did it get here so fast? Yesterday it was July, I just know it. And after Halloween it’s the downhill slide through November and December with all of the shopping, holidays, parties, eating, and celebrating before suddenly it’s January 1st and a New Year is here.
Why does it always go so fast? And why am I worn out just thinking about it?
If you’re anything like me, then all of the busyness of the holidays just adds more stress to an already stressful time of year. It’s the time of year when patients have suddenly realized that they’ve met their deductibles for the year – so let’s have surgery! And they sign up for LOTS of it.
To make matters worse, there’s this magical day each year that operating rooms throughout the country rotate around. Patients line up left and right to make sure that their surgeries get completed before it’s over. The rush is on to get scheduled, have surgery, and beat the deadline.
December 31st – the Cinderella Day of insurance coverage.
Deductibles reset at midnight and *poof!* suddenly only necessary surgeries are scheduled and elective surgeries become as non-existent as Cinderella’s magical ball gown. Oh, and we get our lives back again.
Does this sound like your O.R.?
Our schedule starts getting heavier in October, throughout November we get busier, and then in December we’re doing our highest case volumes, working later, and just trying to make it through each day – forget trying to shop for Christmas presents, decorate for the holidays, or get to a party on time. Leaving work early doesn’t happen, and everyone stays late.
How many times have you wished that we could celebrate Christmas in January because you haven’t had time to do anything, much less get into the holiday spirit? Maybe that’s just me, but I feel that way every year.
With Halloween approaching, I’m reminded again of what the end of the year holds – and it’s a little daunting.
The days will be long and stressful. I won’t have any control over how many cases get posted, or how many rooms we run each day. Our O.R. will be running at max capacity for patients, and we’ll be struggling to have enough staff to cover everything. I’ll be tired exhausted.
But with everything that is out of my control this season, my attitude is not. I can let all of the stress get to me and be angry everyday, or I can choose to be positive. Cases are going to get scheduled and more added on later, whether I’m happy about it or not. There will be days that cases run late and we’re working into the wee hours of the morning. It totally sucks to work an 18 hour shift and to still be at work at 1 AM. I get it. But I can be mad about it, or I can just do the task at hand, throw back another cup of coffee, and roll with it. My attitude isn’t going to change the fact that I’m still at work. But it will change my response to the situation.
The busy season is just that – a season.
We’ll get through it, just like we do every year. You get to choose how you will respond to all of the chaos around you. Remember that your attitude won’t affect the schedule, the staffing, or the case volumes – it will only affect you. And if you can’t change something, why let it bother you? Accept what you can’t change, and find joy in all of the good things around you.
Melanie