That's a tough thing to go through once, but TWICE! Ouch!

When patients are nervous, it's often a balance between coddling and reassurance. I enjoy that part of the job, using my ability to read people to see what I believe they need and adapting to that.

I work in an area where we do not use nurse anesthatists. So, I do stay for the entire duration of each surgery. But, that's really what makes it great. I enjoy the art of surgery and anesthesia and the physiology involved. I never wanted to work in an area where I would have someone else's life as my responsibility, but being managed by someone who was less qualified than myself to manage the many challenging situations that inevitably arrive.