In Chaos, Attention to Detail

Off to a rocky start on "day one." Not unusual for missions conducted for the first time in a new country. Getting equipment prepared, coordinating, communicating, etc. Doctors wait for patients to be prepped and equipment to be set up. A patient lies on the table ready for surgery, meanwhile the surgeon wanders from room to room looking for a missing transformer. Without it he'd be practicing medieval medicine.

In room two, Dr. Roger Bucs kindly speaks to nurses, respectfully giving them the benefit of the doubt in their judgment, thoughtfully steering them in the right direction only when they need it. The attentive doctor gently maneuvers the patient, a frail Ethiopian women in her 70's. The job of the anesthesiologist could possibly be more art than science.

Many physicians get to show how well they operate under fire on the WSF missions. The conditions of the hospitals on these missions vary. Although some are better equipped than others, each mission presents significant challenges to upholding the extraordinarily high standards to which these medical professionals are accustomed. In fact, Dr. Bucs could be nicknamed "Dr. McGuiver." On a previous mission, Bucs was short one anesthesia machine, and so he constructed one out of old anesthesia parts and duct tape. A work of art sculpted from the mortar and clay of a broken down operating room.

Back in room two, Dr. Bucs mixes a carefully balanced cocktail of anesthetics into an "IV" bag. He asks me to hold the bag up high while he explains how one drug blocks something and the other increases something else…"one makes you big and one makes you small." Too much of either and you've got problems. Art or science? It's hard to tell. Nevertheless, he continues to fine-tune every detail, a fragile life in his hands. He checks and then checks again. Finally, he looks at the Ethiopian nurse and says, "She's ready." Painstaking attention to details harmonizes into a delicate balance in a master's hands.