I have to write about this as a bit of a pointer to those who will come along behind me. In a way it's kind of humorous because most who know me in a professional setting probably understand that I am fairly particular about rules of social behavior. I like my personal bubble and I try to respect other peoples' personal space. "Please," and, "thank you," are common words in my vocabulary (though not common enough to some).
But the world of surgery is different, and I am having some trouble adjusting to it. The other day I asked for, "Scissors, please." When I received them, I said, "Thank you." The surgeon stopped what he was doing and stared at me. His words were, "you need to stop that right now. Stop being so polite." He was half joking, of course, but he had a point. That is that we must be as polite as is feasible but as direct as is required to get our job done. Extra words are, in a pinch, unnecessary. And today I was having some difficulty visualizing the surgical field because of where I was standing - to the right of the patient across from the surgeon. The surgeon was working deep in the abdomen and I could not see what she was working on in order to keep the field clear. But I couldn't see because I was trying to keep my head a reasonable distance from hers (personal bubble). It was frustrating for her that I couldn't do my job, and unacceptable in my opinion. The tech explained that the sense of personal space is modified in the OR and the surgeon explained later on that I have to do whatever is necessary to see the field in order to help her do her job. This might include being nearly ear-to-ear so that I can see what I need to.
So another lesson from the surgical ward: get over being polite... sort of.
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