As one of only two non-medical volunteers on the team, I was put to work cleaning and sterilizing medical instruments. Clearly, mine was not a glamorous job, but it was no less critical.
My partner in slime was Audrey and our makeshift work space lacked state-of-the-art techniques and equipment to sterilize and package instruments. Nonetheless, our labor-intensive protocols (including soaks in Cidex) were apparently adequate for avoiding post-operative infections.Every medical procedure required a very specific set of instruments. With four operating rooms functioning at all times, sets of instruments were constantly in motion and always in demand. My role also involved policing our sterile environment and keeping instrument sets from being broken up by impatient surgeons.
What a job! Did you really reuse even the bloody suction tubing? I suppose you had to maximize all resources given the limited supply. They really kept you busy and put you to work! Great documentation of the process :)
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