Glenna - Teamwork in the OR

Glenna -







I work as an operating room nurse, and I have never wanted to work anywhere else. For the last 20 years I have been a manager, and currently I am Director of Surgical Room Services. It's a scary job in the sense that I'm responsible for people's lives, for physician and surgeon satisfaction, and for the hospital's bottom line. And of course for good outcomes for patients in our community.

As a manager, I try to find out what jazzes my people, and then give them opportunities to do that."When you scrub in on a case, when you lay hands on a patient, all the things you do to get ready--it's like a dance to me." I recognize people on a daily basis for specific things they do: "Thank you for staying over last night; it really made a difference in the patient's outcome." I try to send a thank-you note to their home once in a while, to say I've noticed something special they've done. Or I give them a day off, or take everyone to breakfast. I inquire about their families. I want to know if they're hurting emotionally. Things to let them know they're more than staff, they're people to me. It keeps them motivated.

In the operating room, it's important that my staff have the equipment and supplies they need, so they can do a good job for the physicians. When they tell me about a problem, I try to act on it right away. We are practicing a very technical form of nursing, and we need specific things to do the jobs successfully. If it all works, and if I get a compliment from the physician, I pass it on to the staff. I'm their cheerleader, and they're mine as well.

I need the same things they do. Recognition, team work, and cooperation make me glad to be at work. Having a physician say, "You made me feel like a king today." Staff giving each other a high-five in the corridor after they've done a good job. Seeing people take care of each other and buoy each other up, rather than tearing each other down. That's what jazzes me.

I'm also very intrigued by the technical aspect of operating room nursing: fixing something that's broken, the actual mechanics of it. And making a difference in someone's life because of how well the technical part is working.

On the human level, I know that patients are more vulnerable in the operating room than at any other time during their stay in the hospital. In the operating room, they're asleep, and can't advocate for themselves. Being there for them and being their champion, and doing it on a one-to-one basis, is very satisfying to me.

The surgery process itself is rewarding. When you scrub in on a case, when you lay hands on a patient, all the things you do to get ready--it's like a dance to me. There's a progression--passing the instruments to the surgeon who is operating on the patient, and you being part of that, making it smooth, making it flow. You have a bond with that team and with that patient and with what's happening at that moment.

When things don't go well, there's an emotional toll. Sometimes everyone's working hard, and you find that the patient is going to have a bad outcome no matter what you do. Though it's not what you hoped, it's something you share with your team in that moment. It's part of you now. You make an agreement to go in and stay until the end and you are part of the dance.

In spite of the seriousness of surgery, we try to keep the room lighthearted when we're working. We try not to do anything negative, because I believe that even though a patient's asleep, it affects them. When the anesthesia is taking effect, we hold their hand and say, "I'll be here. I'll take care of you. Don't worry." Patients want to hear that. I don't care if it's a 200 pound biker, or a skinny 86 year old lady.

We look at their physical state during the surgery, too. Are they warm? Is there pressure anywhere that might cause a sore when they wake up? How's their fluid and electrolyte balance? And then we communicate about that with the physician. So we're making sure everyone has what they need to do the technical parts, and at the same time we're keeping the atmosphere in the room comfortable.

The physicians know that everyone on the team plays a vital part. Nobody is less, nobody is more. The surgeon performs, but other people provide the necessary means to make the ballet happen.

For me, I've always been compelled to do something that has meaning. We're part of such a large world, and we're just tiny insects by comparison. If I can build a team that will do excellent work and give to the community, then my life will matter. I need to give what I can. And in doing that, I feel fortunate. I feel like the luckiest person in the world.

Power strategies: Symbiosis, Love, Influence
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