1 1 0 • 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 U N E 2 0 1 9
S
oon after I started my career in the OR 38 (!) years ago, the
first Universal Law of OR Nursing grabbed me by my scrub
jacket and shook me into a higher state of consciousness. You
see, like many freshly minted surgical nurses, I had visions of dashing
into those hallowed halls and saving lives, just me, myself and I. It
only took a few sobering shifts in the OR to pfft perforate my overin-
flated ego and show me that it takes a team working together to put
patients back together again. Since the Law of Teamwork slapped me
upside my bouffant, I've observed 8 more Universal Laws of OR
Nursing.
The Law of Foreign Bodies. For shrapnel, you
usually hear, "I was minding my own business
and some dude shot me." Mr. Some Dude apparently
has a nasty disposition and gets around. For a for-
eign body in a southern orifice: "I just sat down
not watching where I was landing, and I
sat on something."
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8 Universal Laws of OR Nursing
Unchanging principles that make surgery go 'round.
Behind Closed Doors
Paula Watkins, RN
• BLAME IT ON FIDO A run-
away dog likely caused the
elderly patient's broken leg.
