Education :
- Madison Area Technical College, Associate Degree of Nursing ( 2000 )
- Madison Area Technical College, Diploma (Surgical Technologist-1983)
 I am a nurse in the operating room at University of Wisconsin Health and Clinics. My home team is orthopedic surgery. As a circulating nurse, my role is to prepare the OR suite for surgery, interview and assess the surgical patient prior to surgery, assist anesthesia during induction of anesthetic, and assist surgical team with positioning and prepping. During the surgical procedure my duties are to retrieve sterile and non sterile supplies, continue assessing the surgical patient, document for the computerized OR record, and assist the anesthesia team if needed. After the surgical procedure is finished, I print out the OR record, help turnover the room for the next case, and visit with the next patient.
I prefer to be assigned to Total Joint procedures. I find it very fascinating that the knee or hip joint can be replaced with metal and plastic to restore function of that joint. I never find orthopedic surgery boring. The surgical sequence is usually the same, but each patient is unique, making each case interesting. The best part of my job is the people that I work with. The nurses, surgical techs, orthopedic residents and surgeons work together each day as a team. The worst part of my job is the long hours that I have to face when I am on call.
I have worked in the operating room for twenty two years. In the last ten years the biggest change that I have seen in surgery is technology to promote minimally invasive surgery for faster recovery and shorter stays in the hospital. It also reduces the complication of post surgical infection. I foresee this trend of minimally invasive surgery continuing in the next ten years. |
