Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.
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2 2 O U T P AT 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 | D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 She remembers when you didn't have to wear gloves for every patient interaction, when anesthesiologists owned their own anesthe- sia machines and surgeons brought their own instruments to the OR. She won't miss being on call every third week and won't look back with fondness at missing holidays and time with her 2 sons. Those boys are grown, and now she's got 5 grandkids to spoil. But she's having trouble letting go of the procedures she helped bring to Lima Memorial more than 17 years ago. She worked 1,325 of the 5,589 open heart procedures at the hospital, a work ethic that earned her the nickname "Heart Hog." One of the heart surgeons called her Mom, because she took good care of him and made sure everything was in place before surgeries began. Those cases, her heart team, that's what she'll miss the most. "I don't know what it is — the camaraderie of the team, setting up the equipment," says Ms. Callahan. "When I talk to the girls, I ask 'Do you have any hearts on tomorrow?' And if they do, I think Oh gee, if I could just go in and set them up … " Nearly 70, her eyesight isn't as sharp. "I wanted to go out with some dignity," says Ms. Callahan. "I feel like I left at a good time." She didn't cry during her final procedure, or when she cleaned out her locker or when she walked through the human tunnel of adoring colleagues to clock out for the last time. But when a nurse gave her a goodbye hug and lost it, so did Ms. Callahan. "That was hard, but I knew I could come back, see everyone and have lunch," she says. Faced with free time for the first time in her life, Ms. Callahan is considering volunteering in Lima Memorial's central supply depart- ment. She helps out in the baby room at her church's daycare and continues to teach Bible study to 3- and 4-year-olds on Wednesday nights. After all, she always wanted to be a teacher. The nursing thing just kind of happened. — Daniel Cook SURGEONS' Lounge THE