Take a Pause...
The other day I had the good fortune to meet a surgical technician at one of our local hospitals. I asked her if she knew my husband’s neurosurgeon, Dr. 
Sachs, and she broke out in a big smile.
It turned out that she and the hospital staff felt the same way as we and others do about him...he’s a gem!
She told me that one of the many things she admired about him was that he was a stickler for “Timeout” before a surgery.
I know that Debe Maxwell, CRS and Margaret Rome, Baltimore Maryland know about this but for those of us not in the medical field, a surgical time-out is part of the Universal Protocol “designed to ensure correct patient identity, correct scheduled procedure, and correct surgical site”
It includes the verification of correct patient positioning, availability of relevant documents, diagnostic images, instruments and implants, and the need for preoperative antibiotics and other essential medications…”
The surgical technician told me that Dr. Sachs would always say “Ok, let’s take a pause.” or “Time out!”
So what does this have to do with anything?
We may not be performing surgery but some of our actions whether in our work or private lives are certainly deserving of a pause or time-out before we do or say something that cannot be taken back.
With the holiday season upon us, we will all be pulled in different directions. There are deadlines to be met, contracts that need to be thoroughly read, and negotiations that will demand our attention.
And many of us will feel the additional tug of the holiday season...gifts to buy, holiday meals to prepare, family to meet with (or avoid...LOL) and travel plans to be made.
Taking a timeout is something we could all use when we have decisions to be made or important conversations we need to have.
Who knows...give it a try!
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