ears to everything. The best scrub techs with the most experience
helped him get acquainted with instrument sets and took their own
notes of his preferences. The most experienced circulator took him
under her wing, clearing many obstacles so he could soar.
From the moment he took flight, it didn't take long for the suddenly
confident doc to get a little too comfortable. He strolled in three hours
late for surgery, tossing his two phones on the circulator's COW and
cutely demanding that all his calls be answered. He wanted us to jot
down who called on a card in handwriting he could read. I'm looking
forward to possibly running into him again, so I can tell him how I real-
ly feel. I think he'll get the message.
The adrenaline rush. Thanks to the pandemic, normal rooms now
require a more concentrated cleaning between cases. Don't get me
wrong, that's a very good thing for everyone involved. Still, what's going
to happen to sacred turnover times? Regardless of the speed at which
we move in a COVID-19 era, I'm actually excited about getting back to
working in a fast-paced OR. God help me.
Standoffs with anesthesia. I've only had a few dig-in-my-heels dis-
putes with the head of the table. The most memorable involved me
refusing to move a patient during a rather vicious moment of regurgi-
tation. The anesthesiologist loudly insisted that I immediately move
the patient to the OR because she needed to perform a rapid sequence
induction. (I'm convinced she was gagging behind her mask.) I gave
her the look — you know the one — and said firmly and not so polite-
ly, "Not until she's given a Zofran IV so it at least appears we have
some compassion for her discomfort." Luckily, this episode was an
exception. I've been fortunate enough to work with some extraordi-
nary anesthesia pros over the years. Still, I'm excited to put my look
— you know the one — back to good use.
Behind Closed Doors
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