Profanity in the OR

I admit, I can be profane at times. Never in front of patients. If a surgeon says the F-word- really doesn't bother me, as long as it's not directed personally at anyone.

Often, it's just them venting during a tough situation. I think it comes down to time and place, and knowing your audience. I've worked with uptight people and those who have potty mouths.. Really, give me the potty mouths any day.

I am not only a member of the Potty Mouth Club, I am also the President!

Not something that I entirely love about myself, but I was slowly learning how to use my mouth filter. One day I accompanied a scared friend to a court hearing, and I found myself among our county's finest residents. There was a girl sitting behind me making loud comments about everyone in the courtroom in between her skillful displays of smacking and popping her gum. She used so much profanity that she made ME (The President, mind you) blush. She was so obnoxious that the bailiff eventually tossed her painted-on-jeans-midriff-baring-pole-wearing-stiletto clad self outta there! I turned to my friend with a look of fear on my face and whispered, "Is that what I sound like in the OR?" She thought for a moment and replied, "Nah. You throw in some SAT worthy words in between your F-bombs."

After that experience, I decided to take my mouth filter out of storage. Sometimes I still leave it in the drawer at home, but most of the time I have it with me when I am working.

I, for one, am SHOCKED that profanity would EVER be used in the OR...

PureLifeRN said:

I, for one, am SHOCKED that profanity would EVER be used in the OR...

It is very hard to imagine all of those pure minded surgeons (and even more angelic nurses) stooping to such degrading behavior as to use profanity. I am shocked as well.

What REALLY gets my goat is when they don't use correct grammar when cursing. I mean, c'mon! "Where is that effing perforation at?!?!?" makes me automatically want to respond, "Not behind that preposition". I know, I know. Needlessly snarky, and it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. I suppose my thoughts should be more focused on helping the surgeon find the perforation rather than pondering how they got through years of schooling without learning basic grammar.

OP, I apologize for the momentary rant regarding grammar. To address your question, I must first ask one of you. Do you find yourself acutely uncomfortable when someone around you curses? What have you done in the past to suggest that staff members take 'the high road' when the conversation starts going into the gutter? Do you address the offending members in a light-hearted way, or are you direct and frank in your request for them to clean up their language? What has been their response?

I understand what you mean about ignoring the occasional expletive. Hell, I contribute to the trash talking too! However, when the trash talking takes a nosedive and a left turn onto the road to obscenely sexual, I have no qualms about telling the staff members (docs, nurses, techs, anesthesia care providers) to shut it. The reaction I get is usually embarrassment coupled with brief apologies. I don't want to make a big fat hairy deal out of it, but I do believe that overtly sexual comments are inappropriate. I have only had to deal with that a few times, thankfully. I think the most offensive comments are ones that slam homosexuals, and I won't tolerate that kind of talk. EVER.

I let it go unless the patient is awake, and then the offenders are mostly just residents. I give them a "Doctor, remember our patient is awake" and it is usually fine. Some of them cop the " they aren't going to remember anyway" attitude but I remind them that it still makes them uncomfortable with the situation in the moment, and it needs to stop. I'm a potty mouth too, I'll be the first to admit it... but not at work (mostly) and definitly not in front of a patient.