CHAPTER 1

The Life and Views of aSurgical Salesman

An Overview

After graduating from high school, I enrolled at theUniversity of Kansas. I studied journalism and English.In 1971, I graduated with a bachelor of science injournalism. I was ready for the business world andall the exciting opportunities that were soon to bemine. At least, that was my perspective as an immaturecollege graduate.

I will never forget a conversation that I had with myfather at a party after college graduation. During theconversation, he said that there are four kinds of peoplein the business world. There are liars, whores, pimps,and thieves. And that they will do anything for money,power, and sex. He stated that if you are able to find agood, honest businessperson as a mentor, you will bea blessed person and enjoy your work. If not, your lifewill be a living hell. With that, he further emphasizedthat it is more important for whom you work ratherthan where.

As a very young man, I did not really understand thatthose words were pearls of wisdom. I was eager tocapture the world. But I was too naïve to understandthe world that I was about to enter, and how difficultthat world would be. Now, after forty years in thebusiness world, mostly in health care, I realize howbrilliant my father was. I understand how true thosewords of wisdom really are.

Since 1975, I have been employed as an OR surgicalsalesman. During that time, I have worked for severaldifferent surgical companies. Besides the OR, I haveworked in every procedural area in the hospital,including obstetrics, cardiac catheterization lab, GIlab, and the emergency room.

In my sales career, I have sold sterilization productsand sterilizers, antiseptics and disinfectants, surgicalscrub solutions, surgical drapes, surgical gowns,ECG electrodes, wound care dressings, surgicalinstruments, and surgical equipment. I have conductedhundreds of regular product in-services and lecturedhundreds of CEU educational programs for OR nursingstaffs. I have worked in and assisted in thousands ofsurgical procedures. And I have witnessed every kindof operation that can be performed, including an SRS.That is sex reassignment surgery, or a sex changeprocedure.

My ability to gain access into the surgical sales fieldwas a stroke of luck. Years ago, most companies thatmanufactured and sold surgical devices required thatcandidates have prior surgical sales experience beforethey would hire you. I had never worked in the medicalfield. I had no prior surgical sales experience. If youdo not have surgical or even medical sales experienceand cannot be hired, how do you get surgical salesexperience so that you will be hired?

I was employed with one of the larger and moresuccessful consumer product companies in the world.They manufacture and sell a variety of cleaning productsto retail, institutional, and industrial consumers. Iworked as a sales representative in their institutionaldivision. The company wanted to start a surgicaldivision, and I was asked to join. I was one of fivesalespeople, out of over thirty thousand employees,selected to start and operate this new division. Itsounded exciting, and I accepted the offer. Heck, itwas a nice increase in salary. And I believed that itwould be a more prestigious position. Who would notwant to have an increase in pay and advancement inposition in the business world?

I received my first surgical training at a world-renowneduniversity hospital in a large southern state. The trainingwas conducted by the nurse educator for the hospitaloperating room. She was extremely experienced andsavvy. She was very professional and took her nursingresponsibility seriously.

Most OR nurses are very serious about their profession.They are very dedicated to and feel very passionateabout patient care. My nurse educator was an ardentmember of the AORN, or Association of periOperativeRegistered Nurses. The AORN is an association that isvery important to all OR nurses. It is this organizationthat strives to improve patient care in the OR and activelyworks to maintain and improve safety standards.There are chapters in every city or county area acrossthe United States.

My first round of training lasted for three weeks. Therewere many topics and subjects to learn. We were taughtthe proper attire in the OR and how it should be worn;patient privacy issues; OR sterile fields; movement inand out of the OR; conduct in the OR suite; principlesregarding asepsis, infection control, and safety; andfire risks. We were not allowed in any working OR, toactively view any surgical procedures, until after thefirst full week of training. There was a lot to see andabsorb. There would be many more training coursesin the months and years ahead.

My first day working in the operating room and viewingsurgery was quite an overwhelming experience. I didnot become nervous, ill, or feel faint. That is commonfor first-timers in surgery. It was the incredible array ofprocedures that I witnessed. The first procedure that Iobserved was a disarticulation below the right knee. It isalso known as an amputation. It was slightly shocking.The second case that I monitored was an abdominalhysterectomy. Not as riveting as an amputation, butunnerving. It was the third procedure that shocked mebeyond belief!

A teenage man was brought into the OR to have backsurgery. It was a trauma case. He was involved in a caraccident and arrived at the hospital by ambulance. Hewas immediately brought to the OR from the emergencyroom. The OR team took him from the ER stretcher,placed him on the surgical table, and began preppinghim for surgery. Within minutes, he went into cardiacarrest. Immediately, the OR team began CPR and wentfor the crash cart. The mood in the OR quickly changedfrom relaxed and congenial to emergency mode. Loudvoices, direct mandates, and quick actions prevailed.The circulating nurse told me to immediately leave theroom. I quickly responded to her mandate and went tothe OR nurses' lounge.

Approximately one hour later, she came to the loungeand told me that the young man had expired. Shecould see that I was quite shaken. She was very kindas she explained to me why I had to leave the OR andthe appropriate protocol...