How Steady Do Your Hands Have to Be?

[ask1andy]

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If my hands shake a little when I am hungry or after I have exerted them for a long period of time, do I have a future in surgery? I am able to paint, draw, and sculpt well but not like a robot. Do all good surgeons have super steady hands all the time?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Absolutely not. As one of my former attendings used to say, "everyone shakes, I just don't want to know how much."

I've seen surgeons with wicked essential tremors who were still able to operate well. Obviously you have to have some control or be able to find manuevers which help you gain control over your tremor, especially when doing fine work like microvascular anastomoses. But in general, if you have a normal response to things like hunger, caffeine overload, etc. and have a small shake, its typically not a problem. Just make sure you eat before doing my neuro case! 😉

 

[ask1andy]

Thank you so much for the information. As you can see, I haven't spoken with many people who know about this sort of thing. I thought SDN would be a good place to ask. My hands mainly shake when I am hungry and over caffeinated and that I can control. While learning to paint, I had to learn how to compensate for slight tremors. It gives me hope that I may be able to do the same for surgery.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Thank you so much for the information. As you can see, I haven't spoken with many people who know about this sort of thing. I thought SDN would be a good place to ask. My hands mainly shake when I am hungry and over caffeinated and that I can control. While learning to paint, I had to learn how to compensate for slight tremors. It gives me hope that I may be able to do the same for surgery.

You can control being overcaffeinated but you won't be able to control being hungry during surgery residency; more often than not, you will skip meals.

But I have no doubt that if you can control it while painting, that unless your work resembles Pollock's, you can control it in the OR. And as opposed to painting, in the OR you can and should rest the ulnar surface of your hand on something while using an instrument...it shouldn't be just hanging in the air without support.

 

[Blade28]

Thankfully I'm not addicted to caffeine - I'm not a regular coffee drinker. Usually it's more of a social thing.

But I find that if I'm tired and down a few strong cups in the morning on rounds, or at Grand Rounds/M&M, my hands get a little shaky in the OR. Now THAT scares me! 😱

Edit (since KC just posted ahead of me!): food? Bah! We skip breakfast/lunch all the time! (Sometimes dinner, too, if you're on call!)

 

[tussy]

I never skip meals. When i was a PGY1 i did on occasion and then would become hypoglycemic and even fainted a few times. It takes some serious organization but i always have an emergency stash of granola bars in my locker that can be stuffed into a lab coat pocket. I know where all the food is stashed in the ER and on the floor. Long OR cases can be a problem, but the nurses will take a candy and put it in my mouth or hold a straw against my mask if it is an incredibly long case (ie more than 6 hours - that's about my limit). Staff don't seem to mind.

 

[Blade28]

Long OR cases can be a problem, but the nurses will take a candy and put it in my mouth or hold a straw against my mask if it is an incredibly long case (ie more than 6 hours - that's about my limit). Staff don't seem to mind.

That's very nice of them. What field are you in? One without lots of long cases?

 

[Winged Scapula]

Must be kinder and gentler OR nurses there in Canada! 😉

I think tussy's doing CRS.

 

[tussy]

Yup - colorectal. Finished Gen surg last year, finishing the second year of my fellowship and in search of a permenent job.