FROM THE BOARD
 |
Anne Marie Herlehy, RN, MS, CNOR |
Do you have the resolve of a 2½-year-old?
I have a routine with my 2½-year-old cousin Colleen. She is not yet articulate enough to tell me she wants to play “surgery.” So instead she motions to her stomach and grabs a little pillow to place under her head as she climbs upon the kitchen table to lie across it. I ask her if she want to have an operation to remove the “puppy dogs, kitty cats and monkeys from her belly.” She replies with a confident “yes.”
The impressive part of our play “surgery” is that she participates in the time-out process. She listens very intently as I say her name aloud, along with her age and allergies, confirming my declarations with a “yes.” After explaining the procedure, Colleen watches and giggles as I pretend to remove the “animals” from her belly. The “surgery” would not be complete without Colleen waiting for my mom to confirm the sponge count is correct, as I “close” her abdomen.
The truly intriguing part to me is the fact that a 2½-year-old child has the resolve to want to play “surgery” the same way each time. She will not let me deviate from the routine of the time-out in any way. The “surgery” has to be the same each time also. She isn’t interested in surgery on her knee or foot; it must be the belly.
This cute story may seem quirky. But everyone would have to agree that we could take a lesson from the 2½ year old. What is our resolve when acting as a patient advocate? Do we object to or even notice deviations from the routine? Understandably, each patient situation is unique, even when the same procedure is being performed. However, maintaining our resolve will help us uphold our standard as the patient’s truest advocate.
Anne Marie Herlehy, RN, MSN, CNOR
Vice President
AORN Board of Directors
Learn more about AORN's Board of Directors.
Read more news in AORN Connections.