All patients undergo a screening exam either by questionnaire or in person (if convenient) prior to setting a date for their operation. Patients then arrive at the clinic the afternoon before their surgery,receive a brief preoperative examination, and see an admissions clerk to complete paperwork. They are next directed to one of the two nurses stations for blood and urine tests and then are shown to their rooms.Orientation begins at 5 P.M., followed by dinner in the dining room. Patients gather in the lounge area at 9:00 P.M. for tea and cookies.
On the day of the operation, the patients are administered a local anesthetic, leaving them alert and fully aware of the proceedings. At the conclusion of the operation, the patient is encouraged to walk from the operating table to a wheelchair, which is waiting to return them to their room. After a brief period of rest, patients are encouraged to get up and start exercising. By 9 P.M. that day, patients gather in the lounge for cookies and tea, and talking with new, incoming patients. The skin clips holding the incision together are loosened, and some are removed the next day. The remainde are removed the following morning just before the patient is discharged.