The OR Chronicles

Stories & Articles

Real voices from the perioperative community. Every story is a lesson. Every lesson is a gift.

Featured Stories

The Solo Assist

One time on a travel assignment, I was assigned a bariatric case with a newer nurse in a preceptor role. I always enjoyed teaching people coming into the OR because workflow, leadership, and awareness always mattered to me. That day all of it was tested at once.

5 min readRead

communication

"That's not my job."

I heard that in the middle of a case. Ortho room. Tight. High pressure. During a robotic joint procedure, I was on the opposite side of the room — and what happened next said everything about how OR teams either rise together or fall apart.

4 min readRead

leadership

The First Formal Complaint I Ever Made in the OR

When I first started traveling, I took a night-shift OR charge assignment about an hour outside NYC. My commute was brutal — almost three hours round trip. What followed taught me the difference between being difficult and having boundaries.

6 min readRead

leadership

A Difficult Conversation in the OR

A few years ago, while working a travel assignment, I was circulating a robotic case when the surgeon asked me to return a page from the ER. What followed reminded me that not every tense moment requires a heated response.

4 min readRead story

leadership

Sometimes the Best Leadership Is Setting Boundaries

During one of my travel assignments on the night shift, I received a call from the ED. An emergency physician had a patient with significant blood loss who needed the OR urgently. What followed taught me that sometimes the best way to advocate for your patient is to respectfully set boundaries.

5 min readRead story

growth

First Day Off Orientation

It was my first day on my own and I wanted to prove I was dependable. I wasn't feeling great. Exhausted. Starting to feel like I was getting sick. So I showed up — and walked straight into a kidney transplant.

4 min readRead story

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