Mary at Work in Haiti

The team included three physicians: a surgeon and two anesthesiologists.  Two operating rooms were in use at the same time, each patient with a sub-team, comprised of one of the anesthesiologists, a "first assist," and other personnel.  The surgeon moved back and forth between the operating rooms.

 

One operating room had the surgeon's wife, an experienced operating room nurse, as the "first assist."  The other one had Mary in that role.  One of the duties of the "first assist" is to assist the surgeon during the procedure and then, when he finishes and goes over to the other operating room, to sew up the patient.  The photo shows Mary closing the surgical wound of a patient who had hernia repair surgery.