As the team hits the midway point of their brief journey here at MBHOH, they begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel (and luckily it is not a train). While there is still medicine to organize and children to evaluate in preparation for the June trip, they begin to walk through and discuss a moment by moment surgical procedure and what may be missing in addition to what backups may be necessary considering various scenarios.
As I witness the discussion around the fictitious case, I became increasingly grateful for each of them and it was clear how handpicked by God each one of them were. For example, Debra Strausser, who is the OR Operations Manager at Geisinger, has been doing her job for years, knows exactly what is ideal and how the room should be set up, not to mention certain physician type specifications. She is perfect for the mission and has proven to be invaluable on this trip, just like every one of them. As I listened to them bring critical thoughts together, I noticed Sarah (who has her Doctorate in International Medicine) typing on a spreadsheet, so I walked over and noticed that there were over 100 line items of supplies and instruments listed right down to the detail of things like tape. It is amazing how much goes into getting things set up and how there is more that goes on beyond what we can see. I am grateful for this team!
The team gathers around the operating table to discuss a mock case.
Peter jots down anasthesia scenerios
A storage room discussion between the three docs!Sarah and Erica review and add to the list of supplies.
