ATLANTA, GA – Anyone who has ever worked in an Atlanta Medical Center operating room (OR) with anesthesiologist Rick Rickson notices the same thing: How does he get that drape separating himself from the surgeons so nice and wrinkle free? Well, we cornered Rickson in-between Sudokus so he could let us in on his secret.
“I iron my drapes, that’s how,” Rickson admitted to Gomerblog, his scrubs also without a single crease. He sports Italian loafers worth more than everything in the OR combined, and a bowtie even though his scrubs have no collar. “I think it’s important to look presentable, professional, and sharp, which is why I iron my drapes before every single case, no ifs ands or buts. That’s the secret.”
Rickson may not be known for his epic puppet shows or drape forts, but surgeons unanimously agree: his drapes always look fine.
“You know how a sailor outfit just makes a male look infinitely more attractive?” asked general surgeon Maggie Maggieton, who admits that Rickson’s drapes are always “spotless” and “shining.” “Well, that drape just makes Rick with Anesthesia so damn sexy. And to be honest, I don’t even know what he looks like on account of the drape being in the way.”
Rickson continued to divulge the dirt.
“If it’s a particularly pesky drape where I can’t seem to get out the creases even if I iron the darn thing three times or steam it, I don’t mess around: I drop it off at the cleaners and even have them add starch. People don’t realize that it’s more than just ‘tube in, tube out’ in Anesthesia. It’s about drape care. In fact, the whole second-year of Anesthesia training is about the pre-, peri-, and post-op management of drapes.”
In other news, next year’s annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) will feature the most recently published data on irons and steamers. It is expected to be the highest attended conference in ASA history.
