Ok, well there'll be no surprise to regular listeners that perioperative nursing is absolutely my bag. God, how I love it. Now that I'm doing other things, I pine for it. Other people would ask me at dinner parties what I did for a living and I'd say "I work in operating theatres" and there'd be instant fascination. I'd tell my favourite stories - gross, hilarious, bloody - generally gratitious. Always satisfying. Of course, there was the odd goat who'd say "Oh, don't hand instruments to the doctor?" and I'd feel an almost irresistable urge to "accidentally" knock the glass of red wine they'd just sanctimoniously poured themselves. There's a lot to this gig of ours: it's surprisingly vast and complex. It's no surprise that I could lecture you until I'm blue in the face as to why perioperative nursing is so more than handing instruments. But you what - I'm going to leave that to the true expert. The fabulous CEO of the Australian College of periOperative Nurses (ACORN), Rebecca East.
