Glory

 

All members of the surgical team are important—even the one whose only job is to hold one light and wear another on her head (source).

Glory is the name of the game for surgical assistants. Again, the lead surgeon will feel the most glory for performing a tricky surgery...but unlike fame, there's plenty of the glory to spread around. 

The surgeon can only do so many things at once, which means your assistance with preparation, wound dressing, and other tasks is just as vital to the operation. So even if you're not the one in charge, the surgery won't be successful without you.

At the end of a long, exhausting, and complicated surgery, there's no better feeling than hearing the doctor tell the patient's family that everything went well. And trust us, each and every resulting smile from those family members will make you feel pretty glorious.