Margaret Nichols

Oct 30, 2023 | opmed.doximity.com | James Wiseman |Margaret Nichols |Lisa Carey

She didn’t know me, but she had anticipated my phone call for a very long time. I could hear it in the tone of her voice. “Ma’am, my name is Dr. Wiseman and I’m a surgical fellow in Baltimore. I can hear that you’re driving; can I ask you to pull over, please? I have important news for you.”These sorts of phone calls had become rather routine for me in my time as a surgical critical care fellow at a busy trauma center.

Oct 30, 2023 | opmed.doximity.com | Margaret Nichols |Lisa Carey |P Sonpavde

My hand is outstretched. The room is quiet, but with that underlying hum of concentrated activity that occurs when multiple people are intensely and efficiently completing the many tasks necessary for the patient to have a successful outcome. The pace is quick but confident. Without a word, I feel the necessary instrument placed in my hand. My attention to the procedure, removing the thick layer of clotted blood from the surface of the patient’s brain, never varies.