book that's more than 200 pages thick and have to learn the entire
thing — small details of numerous personnel packages, formations
and assignments — in a day. Then, on the field, you have to adjust on
the fly to what defenses show. The ability to quickly adapt to different
defensive fronts reminds me of the skills needed in the OR, where
everyone has to react to the patient's changing condition and know
what the next course of action should be.
What did your teammates say about your "other" career?
They were very supportive and respected my dedication. When I
hauled in my first career touchdown with the Jaguars, they were jok-
ing that I was the first nurse to score in the NFL. That's probably true!
I miss the guys in the locker room and competing on a weekly basis,
but I don't miss not having job security.
How does working in the OR compare to life in the NFL?
It's not as different as you might think. In the NFL, we wanted to win
games and make a run at a championship. In the OR, we want to per-
form great procedures and achieve excellent outcomes. Professionals
in both arenas are passionate, strong-willed individuals who believe in
what they do, and how they go about doing it. Differences of opinion
occur in the OR and in the locker room, but you learn to work as one
unit to achieve the ultimate goal.
OSM
Dr. Hughes (nihughes@umc.edu) recently graduated from the University of
Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson and will complete his anesthesia resi-
dency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, N.J.
6 6 • 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 L Y 2 0 1 9
