It takes a whole staff to make a fruit salad.

I'm amazed at how a day that began as picture-perfect as a shiny red apple can be stomped into applesauce by noon. But while the fruits of our labor sometimes go from ripe to rotten, the fruitful medley of personality traits and habits we work with in surgery makes up an interesting salad to be a part of. Maybe not every ingredient is to your liking, but without each it wouldn't be nearly as delicious.

• Bananas. There are a bunch of these in every facility. Some of them are the top bananas. Others are a little green when you hire them. You have to let them ripen into their jobs and hope they don't get too bruised up in the process.
• Pears. As in "pairs." I don't know about you, but my motto is, "A pair and a spare." You can never have too many pens or scissors in the pockets of your scrub jacket.
• Plums. When they started their careers in the OR, they were so sweet. But after so many years of working long hours, being on call and getting sleep deprived, they've become prunes.
• Oranges. They can be thick-skinned, and some are sweeter than others. But at times, they have to be squeezed to get what you want out of them.
• Grapes. When some people don't get the assignment or the schedule block they wanted, you can bet their attitude is going to be sour grapes through the whole shift, and possibly for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, this mood can cluster throughout the staff.
• Honeydews. ("Honey, do.") Those folks that seem to manage you without actually being in charge. You wonder why they're never assigned as they flit around, telling others who are working what to do.
• Coconuts. They're tough to crack. Sometimes you can work with a person forever without ever experiencing just what they have going for them on the inside.
• Lemons. While they appear to have a sunny disposition, without a little sweetness in their personality they're just acidic. But you know what they say about life giving you lemons, so pucker up.
• Pineapples. Their impressive appearance and tough exterior can be somewhat hard to get past, but once you are through that protective layer, they can be a tropical delight to work with.
• Peaches. These people are sweet and sensitive. Sure, they look peachy keen, but just under the surface you can see what kind of contusions the day has left them with.
• Nectarines. Cousins to peaches and plums. When it comes to staffing, it can be a good thing to have employees who are related. With Aunt Maude working in the business office, they know they'll have to be on their best behavior, otherwise Mom's gonna find out.
• Chokeberries. These are bitter, hard to swallow and all but inedible. Pretty much like the office politics we have to deal with just to be able to do what we trained for and what we love doing.
• Raspberries. What we'd like to give to all those people and situations that irritate us. Pffft!