This is an extract from Gervase Phinn 's memoir in which he describe some of the tricks young doctors played on naive trainee nurses. Gervase's mother, a nurse and later a theatre sister related these incidents to Gervase when he was young.
When she became a theatre sister, part of her role was to induct the new recruits into the profession. She warned the trainee nurses to be wary of such tricks. One particular surgeon, not noted for his sense of humour, was an irascible, impatient and rather rude man but my mother said that he could be forgiven for his personality defect because he was such a skilful surgeon who had saved many lives. My mother warned the new recruits to be very wary of this particular surgeon, not to address him at all but if he were to speak to them to always answer him as ‘Mr’ rather than ‘doctor’ for in the medical world surgeons and consultants are correctly referred to as such. They were told that if he gave them an instruction they should follow it to the letter. He had been known to throw a whole tray of instruments on the floor of the operating theatre in a furious outburst. On one occasion he asked a young nurse watching proceedings nervously from the door of the operating theatre to make herself useful and to ‘fetch sister’s coat.’ Thinking this might be a ruse, she asked him if this was some sort of joke. The surgeon exploded and demanded that she ‘fetch sister’s coat immediately’ as instructed.
‘Do as you are told, nurse!’ ordered my mother as red-faced as the surgeon. The young nurse scurried off and returned carrying my mother’s coat. The surgeon looked heavenwards and, controlling his temper, informed her it was the cystescope which he required.
One trainee nurse, a permanently cheerful Jamaican woman with a beaming smile and sunny disposition, was assisting the anaesthetist in another operation.
‘Arm board,’ he said, meaning the device on which the patient’s arm rests prior to the administering of the anaesthetic. The nurse nodded and smiled but made no move.
‘I said arm board, nurse,’ repeated the anaesthetist sharply.
‘Ah’m bored too, doctor,’ she replied pleasantly, ‘but we’ll soon be going home’‘
Copyright Gervase Phinn
