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By Mary Ann Fetterly, RN, CNOR, CPSN,
RNFA
In 2006, after 25+ years in the Southeast as an OR nurse
most experienced in cosmetic surgery, Mary
Ann Fetterly pulled up stakes and moved to
Reno, Nev., to work at a clinic with an
emphasis on reconstructive surgery. She
hasn't looked back.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I became an OR nurse right out of school in 1979. Like
all of us, I "paid my dues" with learning
the ropes, working with difficult surgeons,
and second-guessing my chosen field.
I started out in my hometown of Atlanta, Ga., at a
teaching hospital for a year, then moved on
to a private hospital, since I "thought" I
was proficient in my skills.
But it took about three years before I actually felt in
my comfort zone. I was fortunate that the
hospital's "all-RN" OR enabled me to become
proficient in both scrubbing and
circulating. I discovered that scrubbing was
my love and, later, that plastic surgery was
my passion. After working with several
renowned plastic surgeons who taught me many
skills, I became a traveling nurse and found
that most facilities were thrilled to have
an RN who was experienced in scrubbing.
Sometimes I would find a niche in plastics.
I accepted my first position as a private
office/surgery/assistant nurse in 1995. The
next few years were challenging. Although my
surgeon was accomplished, he was not the
most nurturing boss.
At this point I met my future employer, Dr. Kevin
O'Loughlin. It would not be for five more
years before I found my dream job. Let's
just say I "kissed a few toads" before
finding my "prince."
Most of my experience to this point had been in cosmetic
surgery. Dr. O'Loughlin opened my eyes to
the satisfaction of participating in
reconstructive surgery as well. In 2006 he
decided to relocate his family to Reno,
Nev., and asked me to continue working for
him.
This was a difficult choice, as my family is all in South
Carolina and Georgia, but with my youngest
son off to college it was just "me and my
dog" at home. So, I made the decision to go
for it, and at the same time to pursue
getting certified as an RNFA. I had been
first assisting for many years, but without
the official title. I enrolled in NIFA's
program and, this winter, officially added
RNFA to my name. It's a great feeling.
Getting to Know Patients
I work with Dr. O'Loughlin (oplasticsurgery.com)
on many types of reconstructive and cosmetic
procedures. The majority of his practice is
reconstructive.
The satisfactions in participating in reconstructive
surgery are twofold. First, technically, it
is great being able to assist in the RNFA
position. But the greatest satisfaction is
in participating pre-, intra-, and post-op.
You get to know the patients really well.
For example, we have a 48-year-old patient who was burned
severely as a 5-year-old and subsequently
had ankle fusions and many skin grafts. When
we met him as an adult, most of his grafts
had broken down and he had open wounds all
over both extremities, as well as
contractures in the popliteal area on one
leg. Dr. O'Loughlin has now operated on him
twice, with one more procedure planned for
the future. He had to have extensive
debridements and biopsies of the sites (old
scars can become skin cancers when they
present as open wounds later on).
He's just about ready for extensive skin grafting and
release of contractures. He had not had
anyone to help him before Dr. O'Loughlin
moved to Reno. It is an ongoing process and
the patient is really appreciative, with
much improvement in his outlook.
I'm thankful to Dr. O'Loughlin, the best boss in the
world.
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