What is a professional?

For What Its Worth

 

One of the best definitions I have heard, was from a football color commentator. An dedicated amateur works on something until he gets it right, a professional works on it until he can’t get it wrong.

I have thought about this as it applies to the technical aspects of my work, in particular, suturing, draining wounds, removing nails, moles, etc. And I can see what he was talking about. I find myself continuous working on how to do it better, simpler, less painful, faster (if appropriate), I am never satisfied and every time it doesn’t go as planned I re-evaluate. I don’t have to work at it, that’s just the way I do things. The routine of the procedure is so automatic that several things happen: I don’t have to think about the nuts and bolts, I recognize immediately if something is not right, I know what to do about it. The lack of brain power required for the process is then freed up for other things, getting ready for the next two steps, considering other issues that might complicate the procedure, anticipating what I might need next, distracting the patient with funny stories. Many times I have finished suturing someone without remembering each step–just cruising on autopilot.

This became clear to me this morning while working on my car, something I am clearly an amateur (although perhaps an dedicated talented one?) . I was working on the exhaust manifold  and the oxygen sensor. Nothing hard except they are very hard to reach and it is very dark under the car. It generally requires a variety of tools that have to switched. I realized that as I took a socket extension off, I did not pay attention where I placed it and when I needed it I could not find it and had to crawl out from under the car to locate it. I began paying more attention and consciously placed the tools in a specific easy to locate and reach spot. That is when it hit me that I do that as a matter of course at work.

The car however is not as familiar to me as patients and a much larger part of my thought is on the immediate issue at hand. And there is the difference.

 

 

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