Advice for shadowing in OR

[bwonger06]

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I am going to shadow a family friend in about a week in the OR. Its going to be my first time scrubing in to observe, have any advice? I dont want to look like a lost soul, also i dont want to piss off all the scrub nurses and surgeons. What should i do?

 

[maestro1625]

I am going to shadow a family friend in about a week in the OR. Its going to be my first time scrubing in to observe, have any advice? I dont want to look like a lost soul, also i dont want to piss off all the scrub nurses and surgeons. What should i do?

"Dont touch anything that's blue!"

...I think that pretty much covers it.

 

[jhmast01]

Don't worry about it. Anyone that is going to get mad at you is probably going to get mad at you whatever you do. Here is my advice:

1. Make friends with one of the nurses who can help you out with getting scrubs and answering questions later on.
2. Find a safe place out of the way by a wall with a good view and stay put.
3. Take a laser pointer. Check with the nurses first. When I used to shadow a lot, I used to take one with me so that I could point at things to ask questions. It's hard to point and you can't touch anything, so it helps a lot.

Just a few things that I found helpful.

 

[stoic]

be really sweet to the nurses.

try not to touch anything

if you think you're gonna passout, don't fight it. sit down and get some water before you fall over.

 

[JourneyRn-MD]

eat breakfast in the morning- don't go in there and try to stand all morning on an empty stomach, you'll tip right over... : )

 

[DoctorPardi]

Ok first of all, if you've NEVER been in an OR, I doubt, and hope you aren't going to be allowed to scrub. There is just too much going on for someone who has never been there to scrub in.

Mainly don't touch anything, and don't move, pick a spot in the OR and stay there and watch. If you want to ask questions, I'd start off making friends with one of the nurses. They'll probably be really cool about it, and be nice to you and tell you whatever you want to know.

If you are scrubbing in, then all I can say is, do exactly what the nurse or doctor tells you. Do it slowly, and if you didn't hear what they said for sure, ask! Also, as long as you are wearing sterile gloves/gown keep your hands clasped in front of you at chest level. Be aware your back or the back of others in sterile gowns is not considered sterile. So you can not scratch your back lol. If you touch something outside the sterile field and then touch the sterile field, you'll likely never be invited back lol.

Mainly just be cautious and I am sure you'll have a great time. Oh one last thing, it is very common for people to get woozy or even faint the first time they watch surgery. Don't be embarassed if you feel woozy, find a place to sit, or lean against something. Whatever you do, do not fall onto something blue (blue = sterile) .

 

[Andromeda]

note that wearing scrubs and scrubbing in is different. no matter what you'll be wearing scrubs (and wearing a hat). if you get to scrub in and wear a gown & sterile gloves, too...you're damn lucky! they shoudl also have stools you might be able to stand on to see over the surgeons' shoulders (just don't faint). sometimes the best view is from standing on a stool positioned where the patient's head is (near where the nurse anesthetist sits--make friends). if you are short, the dr might lower the drape so you can see. also, sometimes (really depends)it's pretty cold in operating rooms so consider bringing a tshirt to wear under the scrub shirt. a nurse will also probably ask for your name bc they usually have to document who was in the room for the surgery.

have fun!

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

If you're scrubbing in, don't touch anything that's not blue.

If you're not scrubbing in, don't touch anything that IS blue.

Eat and drink something before you go. You're not going to want to faint in the OR. It's bad form.

If you're not scrubbing in, probably try to talk with the anesthesiologists. They'll have more time to explain things, plus might have better angles to the surgery.

Follow other peoples' (circulating nurse, anesthesia staff) lead on wearing goggles if you're not scrubbing in. You'd be amazed how far **** can fly in ortho/vascular cases.

It will smell pretty bad (i.e. nauseating) your first time. Expect it. It's like a weird fried-chickeny smell, especially if they have to cut through a lot of fat. Also, the cement in ortho cases is pretty pungent, but not in a nauseating way, just a sharp way.

 

[cbtk18]

If you do scrub, (and you could--surgeons choice) just try and keep your hands together--that'll prevent you from touching most of the non-sterile stuff that you shouldn't. It's hard to get into a sterile habit, little things like scrtching your nose or even picking stuff off the ground is hard to resist in the beginning.

I was a surgical assistant for a year---you'll love it. What kind of dr is the guy you're shadowing?

 

[bwonger06]

If you do scrub, (and you could--surgeons choice) just try and keep your hands together--that'll prevent you from touching most of the non-sterile stuff that you shouldn't. It's hard to get into a sterile habit, little things like scrtching your nose or even picking stuff off the ground is hard to resist in the beginning.

I was a surgical assistant for a year---you'll love it. What kind of dr is the guy you're shadowing?

an anesthesiologist....

 

[dizzdizz]

Read the pm I sent you because it was, in retrospect, to the OR experience with an anesthesiologist.

 

[sprinkibrio]

don't faint into the patient. or faint in general unless you want to be made fun of by the patient care techs (lowest of the totem pole--which you, btw, are lower than) no effense, just the truth

 

[crixyphoid]

Everything thats already been said is good- keep away from blue- eat something basic yet filling before (yogurt, kashi bars, water). Expect to feel a little faint, and if you do- move out of the area- if you can't in time- fall OUT of the field. While scrubbing in and rounding before surgery- ask for an overview of the surgery so you don't ask dumb questions while the team is working. Don't be afraid to ask a reasonable amount of questions. Befriending anesthesiologists is good for some surgeries- depending on the setup of the theater. By hyperaware not only what is going on in the field but around you- don't get in nurses way. And above all- if you hear flatline, someone say ' get the paddles/crashcart' or 'he's coding.' Move as far out of the way as possible.

Overall good luck- my first scrub in was with a cardiologist in Denver- and he let me hold the heart!!!! 😱

 

[MasterMD]

ive spend at least 2 days a week for the past 4 months in ORs and i found that the best thing you can do is make friends with the anesthesiologist... standing where he or she is will give you a great view of the surgery and you can ask lots of questions since you will be close enough to the surgeons to speak in a relatively quiet voice without being obtrusive. good luck... it's really cool 🙂

 

[bwonger06]

just a follow up, today was the first day i shadowed. i got to see three surgeries, i would have seen one more but the anesthesiologist i was shadowing had a penis enlargement case (ha like i want to see that)

anyways the first operation i saw was a laprascopic oophorectomy. it was school, and a nice first surgery since it was non/minimaly inavsive. the surgeon was cool, and it was a nice case to learn the ropes.

my second case was a gastro-bypass. a little more invasive, but a scope was used. the anatomy part of the surgery was really cool, and the surgeon explained each step she took.

my third was a cesarian. blah, about as invasive as you can get. cutting each layer of skin was ok, but when the surgeon had to pull the skin apart and there was a rip sound, i was about to throw up. but i survived and didnt faint from any of the surgeries.

i really look forward to observing more surgeries.