Vendor reps: an ortho chick’s best accessory
Most women believe shoes are their best accessories. Some even go as far as to have entire rooms in their homes dedicated to nothing but the accumulation of fancy footwear. In this regard, I am an embarrassment to my gender. Other than my work shoes, I have three pairs of shoes I wear on a regular basis (one of them being a pair of flip-flops, so I’m not even sure that counts). Honestly, the only shoes I really give a damn about are my fabulous work shoes. I’ll wait here a moment while the shoe-loving community recovers from my blasphemy.
Personally, as an ortho chick, my favorite accessory is a vendor rep. I spend my days up to my ears in pans full of reamers, cutting jigs, and all manner of unrecognizable pieces and parts that could fit together in 372 possible configurations but only work if constructed a certain way. This can be problematic if you don’t work with the same surgeon or joint system on a regular basis. That is why the lord in his infinite wisdom created the vendor rep. I have learned more about orthopedic surgery from reps than a lot of the preceptors I’ve had! For you new kids out there, these magical beings of awesomeness will help you put everything together and pretty much walk you through the entire surgery.
Important lesson: Make friends with your reps. This is a ridiculously easy thing to do. If you think about it, vendor reps are sales people. Sales people want others to like them so that they will BUY MOAR THINGS. They are people pleasers and therefore will want to be not just the surgeon’s buddy, but yours as well. Being pals with your reps will help you in lots of ways:
They will come in to say hello and get you set up BEFORE the case starts instead of standing in the hallway chitchatting.
If they like you, they are more likely to chill in your room during the case and help you out. The less invested they are in you or your room, the more likely they are to go all “rogue ninja rep” and wander out of the room just about the time you need their help using the insane cutting jig-measuring device-stabilizer combo that looks like some sort of messed up Transformer.
A rep that likes you can be your personal public relations department. Let’s just say there’s a surgeon who is on the fence about you. He doesn’t really love you for whatever reason (personality, speed, etc.) but he doesn’t necessarily hate you. A vendor rep who thinks you are the bomb goes to Dr. Ambivalent and says, “Gee, that (insert name here), she’s pretty awesome right? Really knows her stuff.” That endorsement could be the tipping point for Dr. Ambivalent to actually LIKE you instead of just endure you.
A friendly rep will have your back. One day, I wasn’t quite on top of my game and a little slow getting my implants loaded and cement mixed. Of course, I was paired with one of the impatient surgeons that day. My rep noticed me struggling and totally saved my butt, distracting the surgeon by peppering him for details on his March Madness bracket. Thanks to his intervention on my behalf, not one impatient toe was tapped that morning.
There are plenty of other reasons why vendor reps are your best surgical accessories. Heck, if nothing else they’re one more friend you’ve got in the OR. One more smile and “Hello” to make your day better. The best part is, unlike shoes, vendor reps don’t cost you a thing and they go home at the end of the day. It’s a good thing too, because I don’t have a closet big enough to store all of them.
Until next time, stay sterile!
