“Deliver Us from Evil"

When I was a nursing student, one of the first things we were taught was sterile technique and how to maintain a sterile field. Medical instruments, solutions, bandages, and sutures were routinely sterilized. To ensure that we weren’t passing on pathogens to our patients, we learned specific ways to wash and dry our hands. In some cases, we had to gown and mask when attending patients as well. 

During my surgical training, I watched in fascination as the operating team scrubbed and suited up to prevent even the slightest opportunity for a patient to be infected. The steps of their impressive ritual were carried out so meticulously that it could have passed for a religious ceremony! Even the air piped into the operating room had been purified. It was serious business from beginning to end, and those who weren’t committed to the process weren’t tolerated.

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