The gown card that sparked this post is “you are the patient’s advocate. Yes, even in the middle of the night.”
Oooh, return of the gown card.
I wrote myself this gown card in the middle of a difficult middle of the night case.
The surgeon had been pushing to get the patient on the table, had been pushing to go home, had been pushing to start the next case.
It doesn’t matter why they were pushing, just that they were pushing you as the circulator to do something you weren’t okay with.
It is important to listen to your gut.
After all the patient can’t speak for themselves.
The family can’t speak for themselves or the patient.
It is up to you to speak for the patient.
Yes, even in the middle of the night when the surgeon is huffing and puffing and threatening.
Be like the Little Pig in the Brick House of Three Little Pig fame and stand firm.
You know what can and cannot be done. You know all the steps to make a surgery safe for the patient.
Know that you know and speak up for them.
They would do it for you, if they knew.
Dispatches from the Evening Shift 