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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
Title Byline
Step Right Up
Why surgery is the greatest show on earth.
L
adies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
welcome to surgery, the greatest
show on earth. Every facility is its
own 3-ring circus. Just inside the big top,
you'll find the carnival barker who runs the
schedule board. Sometimes it takes more
than one to keep track of all the attractions. Other times it's hard to understand
why there are 6 people sitting at the desk
to manage the day's sparse goings-on and
telling us where to step right up, step
right up.
See the pre-op and PACU nurses who line up the anxious patients
going in and the groggy patients coming out, marching one after the
next like a parade of elephants. The trainers crack their whips and they
are dancing without hesitation. A colossal sight every time.
Our fearless scrub techs constantly walk a tightrope as they seek to
keep the surgeon happy and keep a case going without so much as a
minor snafu. Balanced on a whim, anticipating the next request, stopping suddenly and changing directions at the circulator's command.
The circulator, meanwhile, is deftly, dexterously keeping all the plates
spinning as phones are ringing, pagers are going off, the surgeon is
making demands, the anesthesia provider is asking for assistance and
the med student is contaminating himself every time she turns her
back.
Thrill to the sight of the knife-throwing surgeons (who always hit their
mark) and the sword-swallowing endoscopy patients (I sure hope they
got enough sedation). You'll be enthralled by the skillful moves of the
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | A U G U S T 2013