Flexibility

Flexibility is incredibly important as an anesthesiologist. Although we want as much of our work to be pre-planned and anticipated, we also have to adapt quickly when things change. Every day, the operating room schedule for the following day is made. We look up our patients, determine the anesthetic plan, and discuss the cases with our attendings. But invariably, these schedules change up to the moment the patient enters the operating room. Emergency cases get added on. New developments in scheduled patients necessitate further work-up or delay of surgery. Cases go longer than scheduled, and the last case of the day may get bumped. The operating room scheduler has to take into consideration staffing of operating rooms, whether a case is "clean" or "dirty" (for example, replacing an infected hip joint should not precede a fresh total hip replacement), and call schedules. So I've learned that when I come in and am told my room has been canceled and replaced with all new patients simply to roll with it.