Good at "Operation" Game?

[ToxicFugu]

Are any of you exceptionally good at the game "Operation?" Or is that just a misconception that the lay public holds for surgeons? Are any of you bad at "Operation"? I stink at it. Does that mean I'd make a poor surgeon?

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[Pikevillemedstudent]

I haven't played that game in a very long time. I have never heard anyone mention a correlation between "operation" and actual surgery. But if you are good at getting that damn writer's cramp out, you will definitely be an excellent surgeon.

 

[NYC_anest_2004]

I know that at several interviews (particularly ortho interviews including Mt. Sinai and others), you "play" the "operation" game during an interview, while you are being pimped...

I haven't played that game in a very long time. I have never heard anyone mention a correlation between "operation" and actual surgery. But if you are good at getting that damn writer's cramp out, you will definitely be an excellent surgeon.

 

[phoenixsupra]

I know that at several interviews (particularly ortho interviews including Mt. Sinai and others), you "play" the "operation" game during an interview, while you are being pimped...

That's hilarious. But no way. I call BS on that. A myth at best. There's only one program in the country that I know of that gives a hand eye coordination test and that's the proper PhD directed routine. A good idea too. Quite a few butter fingers at my school's "excellent" program. 😉 They sure can study at a desk though.

But about the operation game, a few peeps have joked to me about it. I'm pretty good at it. But I don't think it's much of an acid test. Steady hands come from regularly working with your hands...and a few little tricks. On of my favorite residents had quite a tremor when he was an intern. He's pgy3 now and steady as a rock. And quite a bit cockier too I might add...but still a pleasant guy. 🙂

 

[Sir Jun]

When I interviewed at Beth Israel in NYC they had us do an exercise in their laparoscopic lab, and they timed us and wrote the times down to give to the chairman. They said that it wouldn't count for much, but who knows. We still had to do it...

 

[imtiaz]

That's hilarious. But no way. I call BS on that. A myth at best. There's only one program in the country that I know of that gives a hand eye coordination test and that's the proper PhD directed routine. A good idea too. Quite a few butter fingers at my school's "excellent" program. 😉 They sure can study at a desk though.

But about the operation game, a few peeps have joked to me about it. I'm pretty good at it. But I don't think it's much of an acid test. Steady hands come from regularly working with your hands...and a few little tricks. On of my favorite residents had quite a tremor when he was an intern. He's pgy3 now and steady as a rock. And quite a bit cockier too I might add...but still a pleasant guy. 🙂

i hope you're right. the first time i sewed a wound closed i was shaking like a leaf. my attending actually said "are you having a seizure?" 🙁 i am getting better with practice though, but when i am interrupted or nervous the shakes come back. i hope this goes away! 🙁

 

[NYC_anest_2004]

I swear. Sinai Ortho (not GS) had three rooms. One was as described (pimping while playing operation), another was a "suturing kraft cheese together" and the 3rd was a "knowledge" room (interpret that how you like).

 

[fourthyear]

I never liked that operation game - made me too jumpy when that buzzer went off. Imagine in the real OR having a big loud screeching buzzer go off every time you started to make an imperfect move!!

 

[Idiopathic]

"are you having a seizure?"

This first happened to me when I was dealing with one of those gi-normous needles on some 2-0 prolene, trying to close the anterior fascia for an open abdomen on a Hep C patient...shook like a leaf as I was just trying to switch the needle in the driver to cover it so I could tie.

👍

 

[Idiopathic]

I swear. Sinai Ortho (not GS) had three rooms. One was as described (pimping while playing operation), another was a "suturing kraft cheese together" and the 3rd was a "knowledge" room (interpret that how you like).

I still call urban legend...all great ideas, though.

 

[dry dre]

my attending actually said "are you having a seizure?" 🙁

Another classic question is "would you like some fries with that shake?"

 

[Febrifuge]

Sinai Ortho (not GS) had three rooms... another was a "suturing kraft cheese together"...

Okay, I don't care if that is bogus, it's funny and it's cool. I am totally going to try this sometime, if only because I'd love to be able to say, "...don't worry about it, sir. I can sew together two slabs of Velveeta and make it look pretty." 👍

 

[phoenixsupra]

Okay, I don't care if that is bogus, it's funny and it's cool. I am totally going to try this sometime, if only because I'd love to be able to say, "...don't worry about it, sir. I can sew together two slabs of Velveeta and make it look pretty." 👍

One of my attendings set me the task of making one hand ties around a matchstick without moving the match at all. Took me ages but I got it down. Suturing cheese doesn't sound too hard. Use chromic so you can just eat it when you're finished. 😉

 

[Winged Scapula]

The appropriate response to the "Operation Game" is "bleepity bleep. How do you expect me to work with such ^&%$#%^ tools?!! I'll bet you give Dr. X all the good stuff and save the ^&^%$% stuff for me!!! beepity bleep"

How can anyone be good with such shoddy tools they provide in the game? 😉

 

[ToxicFugu]

i hope you're right. the first time i sewed a wound closed i was shaking like a leaf. my attending actually said "are you having a seizure?" 🙁 i am getting better with practice though, but when i am interrupted or nervous the shakes come back. i hope this goes away! 🙁

Man, that stinks. Is insulting a student supposed to help the situation any? When/if I ever make it to the level of attending surgeon, I'm going to be friendly and supportive to all of my students.

You might want to try beta-blockers (propanolol). Also, try to stay away from caffeine the days you will be in OR.

I read somewhere that some of those people who write your name on rice grains at fairs and stuff use Zen breathing techniques to steady their hands. Anyone heard of that?

 

[imtiaz]

Man, that stinks. Is insulting a student supposed to help the situation any? When/if I ever make it to the level of attending surgeon, I'm going to be friendly and supportive to all of my students.

You might want to try beta-blockers (propanolol). Also, try to stay away from caffeine the days you will be in OR.

I read somewhere that some of those people who write your name on rice grains at fairs and stuff use Zen breathing techniques to steady their hands. Anyone heard of that?

it's funny in surgery because your attending will do things that make you feel like crap and then later on will do something that will make you feel great. the same attending that asked me if i was having a seizure a few weeks later after i had A LOT of practice sewing did something that made me feel great. if you guys have ever done thyroid cases you know that it's bad if you screw up their neck, since the scar will be visible to everyone. well this guy let me sew a neck a few weeks later. i took that as a compliment. anyway the point is, at first you might have trouble but you will get better with practice.

 

[DoctorDoom]

Are any of you exceptionally good at the game "Operation?" Or is that just a misconception that the lay public holds for surgeons? Are any of you bad at "Operation"? I stink at it. Does that mean I'd make a poor surgeon?

If you are actually worried about your professional capabilities and aptitude based on a children's game, you would make a poor surgeon.

Sinai Ortho hasn't done the cheese sewing ever. GS was rumored to have that while Dr. Aufses pimped you, but that was just a joke the 4th years used to screw with the 1st years, much like the rumor that we did pelvic and rectals on each other. But that was decades ago.

Avoid caffeine on OR days... LOL.

 

[soudes]

I am a resident at the mt sinai ortho program, and i can tell you that we have the applicants play operation, but not for the reasons you may think.

we don't do it to test manual dexterity, but rather to see if you can 'operate' and talk at the same time.

to paraphrase an attending, "Everytime another resident walks into the or to ask one of our residents a question, they lift up their heads, stop what they're doing and start talking. We want people who can operate and talk at the same time."

oh and by the way...hausman has done the cheese thing

 

[Whisker Barrel Cortex]

The radiology corrolate to the operation game at an interview is at one of the Texas programs and is confirmed. Apparantly, one of the interviewers asks the interviewee to find Waldo on a page and times times them until they find it.

 

[CaptainJack02]

The radiology corrolate to the operation game at an interview is at one of the Texas programs and is confirmed. Apparantly, one of the interviewers asks the interviewee to find Waldo on a page and times times them until they find it.

😱 This sounds like the medical version of the "how many pay phones are there in manhattan" type of questions that big companies ask in interviews.

 

[DoctorDoom]

Hausman... jeez... that's a name I haven't heard in a while.

Sounds like my roommates in ortho weren't screwing with me... those poor bastards...