Doctor Jill Weatherill sat at her desk, sifting through the pile of post in a lull between morning surgery and her 11:30 operation. There were four sets of test results which she made sure to set aside to read through carefully. She placed the medical journals in a second pile to take home with her. The final two letters both invited her to conferences. One, in London, would present studies of neurological conditions. The other was entitled 'Advances in Obstetrics' and would be held in Scarborough. She scanned over the details. The dates were convenient; she was sure no other doctors in the hospital had leave at those times. A smile settled on her features; she always found conferences incredibly fascinating and stimulating. This was why she was normally the one from the hospital chosen to attend them. What the other doctors found dull, she enjoyed.
Choosing not to waste any time, she headed straight to the hospital administrator who agreed she could take time off for the week long conferences, on the proviso she shared her new knowledge with her colleagues upon her return. This was common practice and she readily agreed, already looking forward to the first one which was in only ten days.
After leaving the administrator's office, she traversed the long corridors to one of the wards. There, on the far bed lay her patient. "Good morning Mrs Andrews." She smiled at the woman who was understandably nervous. "How are you this morning?"
"Erm… Okay thanks Doctor."
This stuttered answer was the response she normally received. There was little point in asking the question at all, except for being polite. "Glad to hear it Mrs Andrews. I've just come to assure you we're going ahead as planned. Now, I explained when we admitted you yesterday how we'll administer the anaesthetic. It is only a minor operation so you'll be awake soon after you arrive back in the wards. Do you have any questions?" The young woman shook her head and Doctor Weatherill continued. "Good. The porters will be by shortly to take you through. The next time you shall see me will be after your operation."
With a reassuring smile, Jill departed, passing through yet more corridors until she reached the operating theatre. There, her assembled colleagues were prepped and waiting for her. The anaesthetist and a nurse awaited their patient whilst the theatre technician checked over the equipment. Once the patient was unconscious, they would be turning to her for direction. The other doctor would need to know whether the patient needed taking deeper into sleep and when to bring her up. Nurse Cunningham and the technician would await her instructions as to instruments and equipment. She had to admit, she experienced a small thrill at being in charge of an entire staff within that room. It was uncommon for a female to be a doctor, let alone a practising surgeon. Yet she was both and, on the whole, she was accepted within the hospital.