Two weeks ago, my girlfriend was performing surgery on a patient when something strange happened. A nurse suddenly walked into the Operating Room without saying a word. She didn’t introduce herself or explain anything. She just walked up to the table, stopped, and stood there—watching the surgery.
This unexpected and silent visitor made my girlfriend feel uneasy, so she asked her what was going on. The nurse’s answer wasn’t very helpful:
“It’s quiet in our department, so I thought I’d come watch your surgery. I find it interesting.”
If you know my girlfriend, you’d understand why this was the wrong answer. First of all, leaving her own department just because it was calm was extremely unprofessional. And second, entering an Operating Room without getting permission from the surgeon first, especially when she wasn’t part of the surgical team, was completely inappropriate. She was lucky my girlfriend didn’t lose her temper.
So, my girlfriend told the nurse to leave the room, though she kept her anger in check because she was still focused on the surgery.
After the operation was over (and the patient was saved), my girlfriend found the nurse and had a serious talk with her.
She explained that surgery isn’t something to watch like a TV show, and how it’s incredibly disruptive to have an uninvited person in the OR. She also pointed out how the nurse’s actions were not just rude, but could have caused stress and risks for the patient.
The nurse still didn’t seem to understand. She even asked if she could come watch the next surgery.
My girlfriend told her, “No, you cannot.”
SOURCES: *Diseases of the kidneys, ureters and bladder* by Howard Atwood Kelly, New York, London, 1922 (© public domain).