I haven’t answered a call light in 12 years. The most use my stethoscope gets is when my kids pull it out to play doctor. I don’t spend an entire shift assigned to the same 4-5 patients and I don’t know what they love, what they hate, or what they plan to get back to… Read More Patient Care in the OR is Different – not Non-Existent
It’s February – the month of love and all things sappy and romantic. Can you tell I’m a fan? Ha! But, since it’s almost Valentine’s Day, making a list of things we love seems appropriate. Don’t you think? On any given day, I can think of a million different reasons why working in the O.R.… Read More 7 Reasons to Love the O.R.
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… Read More Halloween, Busy Days, and Late Nights
My day began like any other day… Six months ago, I went to work like normal. And like most days, I probably overslept and flew out of my house in a rush without much thought as to what the day would hold – other than that we had a huge caseload and there was potential to be stuck at work late… Read More Healing In The Heartbreak
The Joint Commission (JC) surveyed my hospital last week. What a stressful week! Management was in a tizzy, running around making sure that everyone was obeying every rule at all times. We were quizzed on our policies and procedures, and reminded about everything leadership thought we might get asked about. I guess they might say… Read More Surviving The Joint Commission: 4 Helpful Tips
Conducting a fantastic pre-op interview can seem a little challenging if you’re new to the O.R. Our interactions with conscious patients are very limited. We introduce ourselves before surgery, do a quick interview, and then it’s off to dreamland for our patient while all of the work goes on around them. Yet, even though our… Read More Conducting A Fantastic Pre-Op Interview
So far, we’ve looked at 30 different things that are unique to our lives as O.R. people. It’s funny how we can see so much of the O.R. around our house – did you know an asepto makes a great bathtub toy? And it’s interesting to see how our perspective on life is shaped by… Read More You Might Work In The O.R. If…Part Three
Happy Friday! Last weekend, I shared with you Part One of this “You Might Work In The O.R.” series. (If you missed it, you can read it here) So many of you have let me know that you could relate to some – if not all – of them. Isn’t it funny how so… Read More You Might Work In The O.R. If…Part Two
Everyone that works in the O.R. has something in common – regardless of position. We all, in varying degrees, work under a heavy load of responsibility. I mean, every patient that we take into the operating room is putting their lives into our hands and they’re expecting us to give it back at the end… Read More You Might Work In The O.R. If… Part One
We’ve been camping all weekend – and it’s been fun! But now I have three hot, sweaty, and really dirty children. We’re going from the campground over to my parent’s house for Father’s Day. Won’t a crowd of sweaty kids be the perfect gift? I wouldn’t want my dad to forget what it was like… Read More Happy Father’s Day