Sneetch

One OR used a Star on the assignment sheet to indicate a resource, or break staff not given a room to run. I riffed on it, and called myself a Star Bellied Sneetch, after the Seuss story. It never caught on, sadly. Floater always conveyed the meaning pretty well, as we float from room to room, homeless and harried. For some reason, in the current OR, the term is Co-ho. As in the core whore, the core being the central area around which the operating rooms open onto, where the instruments and supplies live. In this place, where we have a few people to care for instruments, help turn over rooms, run general errands, the scrub tech and nurse who give lunches and breaks have a real role getting supplies and keeping the whole show running. Running being the operative word.

Perhaps because I take the role seriously, knowing how valuable it is to have an extra pair of hands available, especially ones licensed to get meds and check patient records, I am given this assignment regularly. It's exhausting, done right. Ran my ass off today, for the second time as Sneetch this week. I make sure everyone gets a break, morning and afternoon, and lunches on time and as long as is possible. I organize rooms when I'm in there, trying to keep to the circulator's preferences, and never mind picking up mid-case. Learned this in Boston's Big Hospital, when this was the expectation. Good practice.

Next week we are not busy. The legal holiday on Monday, three cases for Tuesday, normal day off Wednesday, called off for Tuesday, and I'm looking a five days off in a row. Time to start some of the good habits I've been too tired to work on.

1. Ukulele, since I can't find a teacher, going to make D get me started with basics, as they overlap from guitar.
2. Clean the place to the edges.
3. Walk, sidewalk or gym, but walk. With recorded books on ipod in my ear if that seems to help.