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CUTTING REMARKS
John D. Kelly IV, MD
Secrets to Running 2 Rooms After 5 p.m.
When my cases run late, I'II do anything to staff both my rooms.
O
nce you
have 2
rooms,
the saying
goes, you'll
never go back.
For years, I've
had the blessing of 2 ORs,
which lets me
complete my
RUNNING 2 ROOMS Some surgeons will stop at nothing to
keep both of their ORs open.
cases by a reasonable hour
(usually). But
when my cases go past the witching hour of 5 p.m., I'm in danger of
losing my second room. I'll do just about anything to make sure that
doesn't happen.
"We don't have the staff." I shudder when I hear these words. I'll miss
dinner with my wife, get to bed late and even miss SportsCenter highlights. But after 5 p.m., either nursing or anesthesia may not have
enough bodies to manage the second OR. If anesthesia is short-staffed, I
ask the CRNA what his favorite liquor is and promise to deliver this
within a week if my room can be staffed. He doesn't drink? I switch to
Happy Meal coupons. If a nursing shortage is the problem, I approach
any potentially available nurse and tell her that she's always been my
favorite and that she's grossly underappreciated for all she does. If she'll
stay "a little later" that day, I'll promise anything from candy to sports
tickets.
S E P T E M B E R 2013 | 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
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