You Might Be an OR Nurse If …
An unbelievably true look at the funny quirks of surgical nursing.
1. You're certain that the surgeon you worked with today uses his per-
sonality as birth control.
2. You really think the best photograph of yourself lately is the one on
your ID badge.
3. Your cabinet at home has more of those blue containers left over
from sterile packs than it has dishes. (They've even replaced the but-
ter containers.)
4. When you're bathing or showering, you start from the center and
wash out, like you do on a prep.
5. You do a better shave prep on the patient than you do on your own
areas that need a shave.
6. You'd rather get 15 minutes more sleep than put on makeup or fix
your hair before going to work. (Besides, the cap and mask hide
a lot — and whom are you trying to impress anyway?)
7. You know that wearing the cap and mask is going to
hide your identity, so when you face this patient at Wal-
Mart, he isn't going to know who you are and try to
talk to you.
8. You insist your phone service plan has caller I.D. on
every phone. That's the first thing you check at 0630
when the phone rings on your day off.
9. You always write RN after your signature — on your
credit card receipt, your checks and the speeding ticket you
got coming in on call.
10. You think that the vending machine in the lounge should
have Prozac right next to the chocolate bars.
11. You believe that all patients should be put to sleep, and as
soon as possible.
1 2 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9
Behind Closed Doors
Paula Watkins, RN
