Trapper: Major, I’m John McIntyre. This is Hawkeye Pierce
Borelli: [shaking hands] Anthony Borelli. The rank is
honorary. I’m here as a civilian medical consultant.
Trapper: You here to tell us everything you know?
Borelli: Should take about 10 minutes. I’m looking forward to
meeting you at the lectures.
Trapper: We’re not coming.
Borelli: There are some very fine doctors who’ve come a long way
to discuss new surgical techniques
Hawkeye: Major, we’re from a MASH unit three to four miles from
the front.
Trapper: You ever been to Korea doctor? [no] You’d love it.
Hawkeye: I’ll tell you what doc. You wanna really be useful over
here? Stop hanging out in the cosy locker room in
Tokyo. If you and your pals want to really get in the
game, come out to a MADH unit or an aid station.
Hawkeye and Trapper attend a medical conference where they meet a civilian consult. After challenging him to leave the comfort of Tokyo, the consultant visits the 4077th and teaches the surgeons how to do an arterial transplant.
I must confess that I have a love hate relationship with consultants. On the one hand, I have worked in roles where I have benefitted greatly from the wisdom of professionals and practitioners in their respective fields. On the other hand, I have sat in training sessions with consultants who have lectured with knowledge divorced from actual experience. The consultants who have the most credibility, in my estimation, and who have brought the most value to my leadership are those who have taught from applied knowledge rather than theoretical knowledge. When knowledge and experience converge there is a powerful synergy of success and failure that provides a grounded platform for learning. When I can look into the eyes of a consultant and know that they too have been in the game and have emerged out of the other side with well-informed insights, I am ready and eager to learn!
