Arriving to work bright and early with a great attitude, walking to the board to hear the “daily huddle”, where everyone stands and hears management tell us how slow we actually are, how many complaints there are, as well as how we really don’t have people for breaks or lunches………….. but “Have a Great Day!”. There it is, on my own again, which I actually prefer. Approaching the board to see my assignment, see that I am in a colo-rectal surgeons room that I haven’t met yet. Proceed to find my room, and get into conversation with fellow travelers, “Have you worked with this colo-rectal surgeon?” Every single answer the same “he is whiney”. I don’t know if it’s having four kids, or just being in the operating room so long, but I have very little patience for a whiney surgeon.
Walk into the room to begin to establish a relationship with the scrub tech in the room, try to make friends, offer assistance where I can, because the key to success in these rooms is to have each others back. If you can help them, they will help you. I asked the scrub tech if she works with him often, same answer “he’s whiney”. I have good conversation and a positive setup with my scrub tech friend Jess, so we are going to stay positive and have a good day. I get word from pre-op, my surgeon has arrived I can come pickup my patient.
Arriving to preop, to find what looks like black Friday shoppers (OR Nurses) racing with patient beds to get into their room before 0730, and have to chart a delay reason. I find my patient, get report, and get to my room. We get the patient off the sleep, intubated, and in comes anesthesia to do a tap-block. I offer my assistance where its needed. Then in walks Mr. Colo-rectal, immediately whining that the “tap block is taking too long”, and he is in a hurry. Mind you this surgery will take every bit of 5-6 hours, but this 15 minutes tap block is what will kill your schedule. I keep my cool, only internally rolling my eyes at his whininess. I proceed to introduce myself “Good morning Dr. so and so, I am new here and was assigned to be your circulator today”, of which I get a casual “Hi”. Okay we aren’t going to be talking, that fine, I will just get more reading done.
I am positioning the patient’s legs in stirrup when I overhear Mr. Colorectal surgeon talking to the resident of his, “you always have to check your OR nurses position of these brackets, if they aren’t faced this way they don’t work right”. At this point I remember my new lawyer friend I started following online, Jefferson Fisher. Jefferson is a lawyer who blogs online with how to give the perfect responses to disrespect, manipulation, and all-around bad behaviors. In that moment I became the lawyer “Excuse me Mr. Colo-rectal surgeon, I hear what you’re saying to your resident, and if you would instead direct the information to me, then next time I can be sure that this room is setup how your like it.” Being respectful but also addressing his passive-aggressive rude behavior in one line. In that moment he stared, I seen the embarrassment all over his face that I addressed his bad behavior, immediately.
From this moment on in my OR nursing career, I realized that the vibe, the room, the experience has everything to do with your ability to get along with other’s as well as your likability and ability to use Lawyer skills to demand to be treated with respect without ending up in the managers office or HR. Thanks Jefferson Fisher. jeffersonfisher.com