The Glove Paradox

This title may sound very perplexing and funny in passing; however, it is not. The title originates after a very keen and smart observation made by my program director in the Department of Interventional Radiology at the BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, Bengaluru. This observation must have happened with other senior and junior colleagues at some point of their training. Our interventional radiology team has been witnessing similar occurrences on many occasions in the interventional suite, motivating us to bring this thought on paper and observe how many would agree or disagree on this matter. It has been noticed in several instances that during a complicated procedure, the occurrence of this paradox is widespread.

As a junior interventional radiologist is in the ordeal to get past the most “difficult” hurdle in the procedure, struggling, sweating, and often blaming the quality of the wire because of which they are not able to get through seeing that the senior most interventional radiologist decides to scrub in and flaunt his expertise. Those for which he had struggled and toiled day in and day out to pass the phase which we are in today. He scrubs meticulously and comes in to glove up thinking to himself “Let's teach them how it's done!!”; that very moment the hurdle that had troubled us all throughout, staring at us and resounding within us the lines from the famous poem by Robert Frost “But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.” At that very moment, time stands still, and the hurdle gives way quite similar to the matador who gives way to the raging angry-looking bull.

As the young budding interventionist makes the impossible possible and basks in pride and self-confidence, that very moment as the gloves come off our elated senior announces “a job well done, boys.”

We believe the paradox mainly occurs in an attempt to succeed in a penultimate effort before the experienced displays his expertise. No study has been done on this matter in the past instigating us to write on this topic. However, we firmly believe persistence should be pursued until we know our limitation beyond which the experienced should take over, teaching and helping the younger generation to learn and grow. As we do more and more procedures, the tactile sense grows stronger, making us aware of what hardware would work and what would not.

This paper is written in a very jovial tone of expression to strike a chord of nostalgia from our training days. In conclusion “glove paradox” is the rule rather than an exception.

Conflict of Interest

None.