Heading to my first day in the operating room.

There are a few things I expected when I came to work aboard the Global Mercy. An operating room on a ship was certainly one of them. 

An influenza outbreak was not. We are currently wearing masks everywhere on the ship because Influenza A has decided to make an appearance. Nothing quite says “welcome aboard” like spending your first days on a hospital ship wearing a mask everywhere you go, wondering whether the person walking toward you is a crew member waiting to cough on you. 

Still, the ship is running, the patients are waiting, and today I finally get to do what I came here to do. My first day in the OR.  Today I get to learn how the OR works on the Global Mercy. The sea is rolling, the masks are on, and somewhere nearby a scrub nurse is undoubtedly preparing a sterile field that I had better not touch. I suspect I am about to learn that some things about surgery are universal—and some things are considerably more interesting when the hospital floats. ⚓️🩺 Here I go.