Creatures of Habit
The rituals and routines of an OR nurse.
W
hether it's driving the same route every morning or getting
dressed in a certain order, we all have our rituals and rou-
tines that help us get through the day.
I come into work and go straight to the coffee pot. It's my
third cup and it's only 0620. Oh, look: a new container of my
favorite creamer. And so what if it comforts me to count the number
of times I stir my coffee forward and backward.
Smiling, I walk into the locker room and open the first scrub cabinet
door, only to be greeted with 3 empty shelves screaming, "Ta-da. NO
SCRUBS!" Slamming the cabinet door shut, I mumble under my
breath the same profanic words I said when the alarm went off 3
times this morning.
Opening each and every cabinet that houses scrubs, a pair of 4XLs
seems to be the only option (other than going "necked"). Lucky for
me, I have 4 big ol', honkin' safety pins in my locker for my daily game
of sartorial nip and tuck.
• pin No. 1 keeps the top from becoming a plunging neckline;
• pin No. 2 reinforces the tie on the pants so that they don't come
undone and plummet to the floor;
• pin No. 3 goes through the pocket to keep my note cards and pens
from falling out every time I bend over; and
• pin No. 4 keeps the massive tent-like cover jacket together so that, if
pin No. 2 holding my pants together should fail, the jacket coming
below my knees will still protect what modesty I have left with this age.
Pillage and plunder
Time for the morning huddle by the schedule board. It's a mixed bag.
Good news: I get to see what procedures I'll be working and who the
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Behind Closed Doors
Paula Watkins, RN, CNOR
