An OR Nurse’s Story

 Q/A with Michael Palma, RN- North Shore University Hospital 

How long have you worked at North Shore-LIJ? I was hired on January 2, 2011, so I am approaching a year and a half of employment.

What started your career journey? Upon graduating high school, I attended St. John’s University and focused my attentions on business and marketing. Although I had given serious thoughts to a career in sports medicine, the timing was just not right for me to pursue this interest and I needed to move on. While going to school full time I worked at a local sneaker store. It was then and there that I became interested in the business and perhaps the possibility of being an entrepreneur. Coincidentally, an opportunity presented itself upon my graduation and I became a business owner at the age of twenty-one.

During the next fifteen years I worked hard, and opened a second store. It seemed that things were going well and business was growing. But being mindful of market trends and fluctuations, I began to see a slight downturn shortly after the tragedy of 9/11. The world, and business was changing, and I felt in a way I needed to change too. I began to think about that medical career again, deciding that it was possible to change careers, I just wasn’t sure when.

Fast forward to 2007, it was imminent that my business would close and the opportunity to make a change was upon me. Having the fortune of many friends and family in the medical profession, I realized that nursing was a good career path and embarked on my journey to seeing how this could be done.

Why did you choose a career in Nursing, particularly OR? It has been said that an operating room is much like a symphony, when everyone and everything is well orchestrated beautiful music, and outcomes, are made. To be able to be the “conductor” and have the entire staff on the same page, as well as, an understanding of the big picture, that the patient is our number one priority; there is no better feeling for a OR nurse. I felt that I would be able to thrive as a nurse in this type of work environment because the operating room would only enhance the strengths and skills that I had learned from my previous profession. I always knew that I wanted a career where I could do more for people on a personal level. I view myself as fortunate to have this opportunity to be a nurse and expect to make the most out of my second career.

Why did you choose North Shore-LIJ? North Shore University Hospital’s reputation of excellence in patient care, is well known throughout the community. I knew that I wanted to be part of a health system that is committed to providing high quality, patient-centered healthcare. I was also intrigued at how the health system has grown and expanded over the last couple of years during some tough economic times. This in turn, shows the strength of this organization, as well as, job security for its employees.

 What are some of your favorites?

Hobbies: Golf, Baseball, Bicycling

TV Show: The Honeymooners

Movie: The Shawshank Redemption

Book: All the King’s Men

Favorite Patient Memory: Although I have only been a nurse for a short time, I did experience a very touching moment with one of my patients in the OR. Like most patients on the day of the surgery, they are nervous, anxious and little scared to say least. This one particular patient was no exception. I went to meet and introduce myself to my patient in SDA (Same Day Admissions) before the surgery. She was very quiet and withdrawn, and obviously preoccupied with the thought of having this procedure. I took some extra time to reassure her and her family that I would take great care of her while she was in the operating room. As I left SDA to go back to finish getting the OR room ready for surgery, I couldn’t help to think that my message of support and care didn’t get through to this one particular patient. When she finally entered the operating room she seemed more nervous than before. I introduced her to everyone in the room and then stayed by her side, comforting her the entire time until she was out from the anesthesia. Once the procedure was over, I again stayed by the patient’s side while the anesthesiologist was slowly waking her up. As the anesthesiologist extubated the patient, he asked her how she felt. She said “fine” in a tired voice, and then she turned to me and said “Mike, how did we do?” For a second I was stunned, I couldn’t believe with everything going on and all the information, concerns and questions prior to the surgery, that she remembered my name. I said “great, everything went great”. Although I didn’t realize it initially, I was so happy that I made a connection with this patient and that she was able to put her trust in me.