SAVING GRACES There's a lot to be thankful for in the present-day OR.

November is here, but before we pass the turkey and stuffing, let's take a moment to reflect on what we're thankful for. I'm thankful to be a longtime OR nurse. And, despite my frequent grumbling about the modern miracles of malfunctioning technology and mountains of paperwork, I'm thankful for how far the field has come. I'm also thankful that …

… I don't have to sharpen needles by running them through steel wool before boxing them up and sending them to central sterile. Needles of all sizes even have the suture already swedged on now, though I have to add that this is hardly a convenience for the surgeon who's always asking for a type of suture we don't have and never will, because it isn't manufactured.

… I don't have to clean out glass jars with rubber stoppers for the next case. Plastic suction canisters may circle the earth 100 times, but in my view they're a step up from glass jars. Those rolling suction units that can handle a day's worth of arthroscopy cases are better still. I've taken jobs based on what kind of fluid waste management system the hospital uses.

… I don't have to take apart, clean and reassemble those demonic metal stapler guns, then hold my breath whenever they are in use, hoping against hope that they won't fall to pieces in surgeons' hands. Blessed be disposable staplers. Their inventors deserve a standing ovation.

… surgical attire has improved by leaps and bounds. I've always appreciated single-use masks. Since cloth is a fluid absorber, I think the development of disposable gowns and drapes was also a smart idea. Gloves are necessary to avoid contact with not-so-pleasant things, but I'm glad we're using more and more of the kind that won't set off violent allergic reactions. Hand hygiene is more convenient, too: You can get a lot more done when you don't have to do a 10-minute scrub before every single case.

… surgeons (many of them) can control their passions (a.k.a. anger). I'd say that only about 1% of the surgeons working today still throw things in the OR. The rise of ASC physician-owners may have brought this percentage down, since they're more attuned to case costs. It's like the old days, when surgeons bought their own instruments and got their names engraved on each piece. Those engravings were a saving grace to the circulator, since the surgeon wasn't likely to throw and risk breaking his own tools. (Then again, he might've just laid them down and thrown something else.)

… nurses (more of them) are willing to welcome the future. If you're of a certain age, then you're also seeing a lot of new faces enter the field. Maybe you'll recall the harsh education you received at the hands of experienced nurses when you first arrived on the job. Hopefully you've reached the conclusion that that's no way to retain the people who are bringing fresh life to our profession. "Baby nurses" aren't prey, they're the future. And, since we're not getting any younger, these young women and men will be the ones taking care of us when it's our turn to be patients. I'm more than thankful whenever I've been able to take a new nurse under my wing and help her to learn what will end up being her passion, as — thankfully — it has been mine.