Relax Babe

Leadership I’m still learning. I hope that I’ve expressed that enough times that you believe me not as expert in the field, but as an expert in my perception of my experiences in the field. That’s why AORN asked for the Forty Under 40 to help them reach out to the youth. We are the experts in the experience of people who grew up with cell phones, a hundred million Google hits, and literally no delays. I’m only trying to build myself in the best way I know how – ask for mentorship and experiences for my end goal. I want to be the CEO of AORN and the CNO of a hospital. I need to know the business, I need to be an exceptional leader, and I need to know how to mentor others. I’m naturally talented at building connections, whether it be financial, people, or goals, but I’m not the best and I’m certainly not practiced enough in the art and science of anything. I know I’m young, but I cannot wait for years in the field to make me the best. That’s been proven

Conflict Resolution One thing about being the owner of the room is that you are the owner of all the problems. It’s the idea that you are the CEO of the room – all the positives are your team’s, all the negatives fall back on you. Whether or not you accept, I’d like to see the counter-argument. When I accepted the CEO-mentality, my life changed. Once I realized that that same mentality wasn’t just my weight, my happiness, or my education, but also my job, that’s when it became much more serious – you must be present in every moment, you must act like every relationship is going to make or break your business, you must treat every patient like they are the only, most important, favorite customer. We’re in the business, whether we like it or not. As the nurse, you are the keeper of the customer’s faith and trust in the entire hospital. As the OR nurse, you represent the entire hospital and provide one of the first experiences of confidence. How calm are

Critical Observation Critical observation is problem the biggest part of your job that is very difficult to teach. When I precept and my student is pretty confident in their skills, I’ll sit and think out loud. The issue with OR precepting, is that we are always thinking about the entire room, and it gets exhausting talking through all of it. And we don’t know where the student is, in terms of how much information is too much. When my student asks more questions or looks at their phone, it indicates to me that they’re ready for scaffolding to the next phase. So challenge them. What do you notice? What can we do to make the next step easier? What do we need for the second case? Is there anything we need for the second patient? Streamline the process, be grateful for the time to reflect on what you’ve done – could you have done anything differently or better? How is the room looking right now? How much blood is in the bucket? Are the surgeons joking? Is

Problem Solving There are so many times wherein you are the gate keeper of the peace. Peace for the interpersonal relationships as much as you keep the peace while looking for something you know won’t be there. I’ll give you a few examples of how I’ve used creativity, clinical reasoning, and innovation in my daily flow. It’s something I take pride in, even if I don’t come up with the answer, at least we have a few to work with to get the best situation for the room. Usually using SBAR or some version of the perfect problem solving communication tool. Do not come at me with a problem without a recommendation – that just means you’re looking for a cop out. One time, I was leaving work and my friend was holding the door open. I love this woman, she’s the mother of my cousin’s husband, but I very rarely see her. So I stopped next to her, only to find out that she was holding the door open because the other side of the double-doors was locked, and it was th

Adaptability I would say more often than not, surgery does not go the way it’s intended. Especially with a sicker clientele base, there are more moving parts that can get cogged. You must be able to adapt and move with the flow, all while maintaining your integrity and holding the space for the room. This is your room. It will only get as chaotic as you let it. Sometimes you get into an abdomen and there is an upset not caught by imaging. Isn’t it cool that we work with surgeons who are capable of recognizing all issues, not just the ones the monkey computer spit out at them? I think it’s rad anyways. It’s even cooler that our society has specialized, and we have the capability of calling in other experts. My Emergency General Surgeons are good, we recognize that a patient’s ovary does not look normal while searching for her appendix. But they’re not the experts. They know that. So we adapt, we call in the experts, the GYN staff, and ask fo

Teamwork One of the most intense feeling in the OR world is when STAT is called overhead. I always ran in, a soldier ready for battle. It was easier as a resident, knowing that there were very few things I would be asked to do, if anything. I even messed up the first time I witnessed a code blue, before I knew what was happening my preceptor was yelling for me to call the front desk, but the blood rushing to my ears, the fear of the anesthesia resident’s eyes, I couldn’t hear. I wasn’t there. But when you’re alone, everyone else is in a case, you have to prioritize and make the best decision at the time for your patient. You can delegate, but there’s no one to delegate to, they’re all doing their own tasks. That fear either paralyzes you, or ignites a fire. After a few situations, the fear usually takes a sidestep and allows you to focus, laser-in on what needs to be done. That’s when you know you’re ready. But sometimes, you get the summative report b

Communication I work weekends, so I never know what service or procedure I’m going into. I love that, there’s no anxiety about working with unpleasant people or fear about being good enough. That happened during residency, a lot of people were shifted around, and often times I was placed in more difficult cases to protect less-skilled nurses. I took as a badge of honor and moved on. As soon as I could get on weekends, I transitioned. It was a femoral nail, which I’ve done a few times more than when I started weekends and didn’t even know what the Hana table was. I gathered my supplies, more than happy to know what I needed to position to decrease my patient’s time under anesthesia (I had just learned how terrible the effects of anesthesia were on temperature, circulation, and pain management, much less the increase in cost per minute in the OR - $62!). I got the patient in the room and called the surgeons in. The residents came, helped me move the pati

You are a Guardian Angel. But let me first explain that everyone is an angel. Not in some religious sense or even a literal sense. But the concept of the word angel – someone who has exemplary virtue. Now place yourself in context, your education, licensure, and now perioperative training. Now your mission is to guard the space of the operating room. Perhaps you’re scrubbing today, and your space is technically only the sterile field. Hold your space, hold your emotions, guard the room and keep the simplicity of the operation away from the complexity of humans. You are an angel, and this is a tough calling. You are responsible for the chatter in your own head as much as you’re responsible for every interpersonal connection in this room. Everyone has their own chatter, so being receptive to them is as imperative as being receptive to your own expectations and limitations. Everyone and everything in that room is now your responsibility. You are

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bDHcClOInU 2 pounds of meat = 8, 4 oz meals 1 cup dry white rice = ~ 666 g; 8, 75 g meals 2 cups frozen veggies = ~ 8 meals Cook up the veggies and meat, section out the veggies start boiling the rice, section out patties of meat, let rice cool then section out. Mix in spinach after microwaving. BOMB. Meal prep done. Video is chopped up. Entire prep took about 1.5 hours. Typically I'll take 3 meals for my 12 hour days. Plus breakfast at home (oatmeal and protein powder), Quest bar snack,  and a snack when I get home (rice cake and almond butter) ~ 1550 calories, 150 g carbohydrates, 135 g protein, 50 g fat It's not complicated. But it is a commitment to yourself and the routine. <3 MA

One of the newest things I’ve added to my life is the concept of competing in a sport that I’ve been trying out and loving for 3 years. There’s an entire background to this situation and the years I’ve spent working on becoming the picture of who I want to be. That is for another time or the bits and pieces I’ve laid strewn across this platform. This time, I would like to discuss the impact that competing left on my soul. This is perhaps a documentary on the experience of that day, as I feel someone may benefit from reading and knowing this before they compete. Knowing your numbers is great, having all your gear is best, but nothing prepared me for the aftermath of war. This is that story. A short autobiography may put this in perspective for your own experience. I competed in team sports for a short while, but always focused on experiences that put your time and effort against others’ capabilities. From piano to karate to colorguard, I competed on and

One of my greatest achievements is doing. I take pride in doing. I want to be known as a doer. I build my confidence through my ability to achieve. It makes me happy to take something from nothing and make it great. It helps that I'm a developer, so one of my favorite things to do is assist someone else in achieving their dreams. Mostly because I did not get here alone. Not by a long shot. I got a mentor for every day of the week and every poison I've decided to try. I like to do. That does not mean become a master or "finish". There is always more to learn. So there are a couple of ideas that have been rolling in my head. I need to write these down. I cannot let these ideas go to waste. Take or leave them, this is what I do. I make lists. Lists for what needs to happy with a due date. Lists for what needs to happen today, in the order they'll occur. Sometimes I have a good timeline estimate, sometimes I don't. Lists for what will happen this wee

I find it difficult to move up in the workplace. For the workplace, my only suggestion is to continue to learn through formal education and certificates and put yourself in a position to mentor and be mentored. The reason I love AORN is that the Dallas chapter brought me in and gave me a position of authority in order to help our membership. I was asked for my input as a millennial and I asked questions of potential mentors in order to provide the best service to the chapter. I am still learning how to ask, question, and delegate in order to achieve the best results of my team, formally or informally. My PhD tract is helping me learn, as well as informal mentors through committees at work and in AORN. I received these positions by networking and asking how I can help. When given an assignment, I follow through and I perform well. I ask questions when I’m not sure of the assignment or what the team needs. I’m an open book and I ask questions until I have a co

This year, my grandfather Anderson was hospitalized for the flu, sent to rehab for recovery, fell and had a short femur rod placed, and ultimately placed in a memory-care facility. He lives in a studio apartment with a tiny bathroom. He lives in his wheelchair and has to be reminded constantly not to stand without assistance. His dementia is so far that he forgets that one command, and he’s already had a small fall again. This year, I’m much more family-focused and aware of the toll my career aspirations take on my family. Every time I come home to my parents, either to see my father (that career-focus keeps him busy) or get my hair done, I make it a point to stop by my grandfather’s room, wherever he may be this time. The last time I went to see him, he asked about school. It’s not uncommon for those who know me to ask about school instead of work. That’s where my passion is, and I can very rarely explain what I do in the operating room without violating

This self-love will transect all boundaries and apply to every single person on this planet. This is not about me, this is not about money, this is not about fame. This is about making the entire planet love itself again and through understanding the human experience, gain oneness and help everyone live in harmony.  I need this more than I need to breathe. There is only this. This is the only light. All of these things end up to the tunnel of being the CEO and President of Nurses’ Wellbeing Training. This goes beyond steps and it goes beyond metrics. This is putting yourself first so that you are able to take care of your patients so that you are able to get the metrics for your team. This is about supporting other divine spirits through the human experience as only another human can do. This is what love is. This is who I was meant to be. Thank you Universe. Sincerely, MA

I need to focus. My purpose is to get nurses healthy the same way I begged to no be addicted to the alcohol, the high of achieving, and now the comfort of another. It's fear of unknown happiness, when I am happy now. I am where I need to be. I am pursuing my purpose. That is cause for celebration and I am so proud. Yoga calms me because it reminds me that I am not alone, though I choose to celebrate the Universe and not some god. Their god aligns more with my purpose, but the highness of the Universe that karma and personal wealth comes from loving others and alleviating suffering however you strengths pull you. I became a nurse and now the certification and degrees with help push my alleviation further. Though yoga would teach me that the ghost within me, each atom of my soul can become the healer, I do not have the knowledge yet. I must pursue this knowledge, I must pursue this chatter in my mind, I must put to rest my fears. Everything that woul

I was precepted in the OR as a circulator and a scrub for nine months. It was pretty grueling as far as training goes, every day was a new person, new surgery, new growth. As far as life goes, it was nice. Monday-Friday, 7/3, I learned how to meal prep and work out after work. The training was separated by the surgery service, and I spent a few weeks in other services before heading to urology. Excited or not for the service, I was excited for the bigger cases I would see that day. I love cases where you’re elbow deep in guts. I digress. By the time the patient was prepped and the surgeons were scrubbing in, I was exhausted. I couldn’t wait to sit down and chart, I could barely remember what we had to in order to chart! When the surgeons came in, hands dripping and elbows swaying, one younger one sighed. We looked up, I didn’t know what was wrong. My heart dropped, worried that something was wrong with the patient. He sighed, looked down, and asked

I spent the day with paid OR leaders. It was interesting, they wanted to advocate for the youth without providing us the necessary tools – give us something we can afford, on a day we can go, and tell us we can bring change back. That’s what I thought at least, 3 years ago when I started going to every single event AORN put on. The second I realized they wouldn’t kick me out of the Leadership Seminar just because I was only a staff nurse, I was in there like white on rice. No joke. Sitting next to a CNO or a VP in a room filled with doctorates? It makes you step your game up. I hope forever more, I am always the weakest link. Because that means I have something else to strive for, to become, to be better. So while if you know me, you know I’m itching with anticipation and I cannot wait to be “done,” I am 100% fully cognitively aware that the second that I’m “done” I will find another pursuit. I’ve already done it a thousand times. I

Be present. There are so many reasons to lose the multitasking ways you thought were getting you ahead. The biggest reason is the unhappiness that comes from being elsewhere. I realize, as the die-hard lover of all things MULTI that this might sound like an insult. A hypocrite telling you what to do while not practicing the motions herself. I am trying. I find that once I lose myself to the room and gain more connections with others, a lot of negative emotions lose hold. And I’m free. And in the moments that follow, I am more happy to attend to those things that I was putting aside. Case one: I check emails during cases when the work is done, but the surgery is still going. I see that a peer has emailed back revisions. I scroll by. The next moment, the phone rings about another patient waiting for a prescription to go home. That is definitely more important. And I am not worried about my emails and things I cannot change in this mom

The come down, the calm up, the meditation zone. Today was my first real day off. I started at 0430, jumping on the scale. I’ve got a new scale now, that aligns with my goal of being physically fit. It tracks my body fat percentage, not just my weight. This may seem silly, and truth be told, I couldn’t care less about the number. But the number is objective and steadfast. Whatever I feel about my physical appearance, the scale will give me a number to associate with. I need that. It’s been almost 2 years since I had someone tracking me consistently. I held onto the 10 pounds I gained on vacation for a year, but when I started my PhD program self efficacy ran out the door. I needed to stay awake and burn daylight. I needed to work. I worked so hard. I went backwards. So now I have a scale and an account-a-buddy. She does much more than hold me accountable, but that’s what I really need her for. She tracks my weight and my macros and will make ch

To my Dallas AORN Chapter Peers: This week has gone by so fast. I knew I would be this happy, before and after. But it always amazes me when I come back home and I feel even more passionate about perioperative nursing and AORN. I’m obsessed with making nursing as good as it can possibly be, making myself my best in the process. As your representative Forty Under 40, the AORN CEO offered us upgraded admission to the Executive Leadership Summit. I was very excited and honored to be offered this opportunity. I had hovered over the button for 20 minutes when I registered a couple weeks earlier- could I afford the upgrade? Something so hugely valuable to my practice, career, and goals was surely worth the price. I couldn’t make myself. But somehow Linda Groah (AORN CEO) and AORN knew what I needed before I asked, and they handed me the hemostat not the tonsil. They continuously prove how willing they are to listen to all members; how dedicated they are to the f

How I got started: I started. I asked for help and I received guidance. Never take for granted those who are willing to allow you to kickoff their success. When I got into perioperative nursing, I went directly into the AORN organization because I was conditioned in school that it was my duty. I took her, Mrs. McMenamy, seriously. I’ve never regretted that decision. The first meeting I went to I was treated like a princess. They asked me for help and I worked hard and ended up in Anaheim in DisneyLand on the National Awards Committee. I kept grinding. I kept working. There was always something new to learn, to do, to help. But it wasn’t enough for me to rise. I wanted everyone there with me. I wanted to see the sunshine with everyone who has supported me. I wanted to taste that success, but it would mean nothing without my backbone support group. If I ask you to look inside, it’s because I know the struggle of focusing on the outsid

I warned you first. I am so grateful! Wtf I cannot even. The momentum that life is and has and could be when you are grateful. He protects me and himself. He is sweet beyond measure. He rescues animals. He goes to the gym even when he’s tired. He gets woke when he goes to the gym. He thought of me in his business and still asked for my preference. He is in the process of bettering himself and developing/creating the person he wants to be. He wants to get back to his best body and he will, he will be better than that. He gets stressed out but doesn't get angry. Maybe he’ll slam a door. I know I’ll do worse. He holds me and looks at me like I’m new and different every time. Not that I don’t also look at him that way, but I’ve never heard someone talk about me in a way that I think. He is perfect bc he is flawed. His flaws are so minute and nothing against him. Just me looking for perfection when he is literally it. He wanted a brother and he’s not religious and he wanted to