#ioperatelikeagirl 👩🏾⚕️ That means, I greet you preoperatively with a desire and ability to explain your surgery and identify when you’re nervous. I don’t tell your loved one that you’re “going to be fine” because it sounds good, I’m saying it because I’m going to ensure that you will be. I make small incisions, and perform your surgery as minimally invasive as possible, because I know that the choices that I make while you are asleep, will be carried on your skin for the rest of your life. I hold your hand if you need it, pray with you if you want me to, play your favorite song on my phone if it will calm you, and call you (and your baby) by name, because you deserve to be seen as you and not just another patient.
I respect the anesthesia team, nurses, surgical tech, scheduler, cleaning staff, and all others in the OR because I know that they’re not there for me, they are there for the patient. That means no snide remarks or raising of my voice. It means patience and kindness while still prioritizing efficiency and safety.
I proudly wear my Wonder Woman scrub cap, my bright pink clogs, and my Spelman lanyard, because when you see me, I want you to see the multitude of women that drive me to choose to change the world each day.
I dismiss any statements that say I’m too young or even too pretty to be a surgeon. I correct you (with a smile) when you refer to me as “the nurse”. And when you say “your Mama must be proud”, I look up to heaven and smile in assurance that she is.
#ioperatelikeagirl #ilooklikeasurgeon
And quite frankly, that is my superpower
