Shadowing an opthamalogist in the OR for the first time.

[nkafeel]

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Hello everyone, on Monday I will be shadowing an opthamalogist in the OR. I know he has a few catark surgeries just FYI. Since it is my first time being in the OR what should i expect? Please inform me of some etiquettes. Thanks.

 

[nkafeel]

Hello everyone, on Monday I will be shadowing an opthamalogist in the OR. I know he has a few cataract surgeries just FYI. Since it is my first time being in the OR what should i expect? Thanks.

 

[TrojanFan]

I went to go watch my dad do a few cataract surgeries a few weeks ago while on a break between M2 and M3. Expect to just stay out of the way and let the doctors and nurses do their thing. The doc occasionally might let you look through the scope, but there will probably be TV monitors where you can see what's going on anyway.

 

[samsunimomo]

Hello everyone, on Monday I will be shadowing an opthamalogist in the OR. I know he has a few catark surgeries just FYI. Since it is my first time being in the OR what should i expect? Please inform me of some etiquettes. Thanks.

Not etiquette, but it's cataract, not catark.

 

[skougess]

I've shadowed in the OR a couple of times and one of them was an ophthalmologist specifically. My general rule is don't speak until spoken to (although if they start to encourage questions and the like, go right ahead), stand way further back than necessary until the doctors start inviting you closer, and don't touch anything. If anyone tells you that you are doing something wrong, your response should be "Okay, sorry about that, thank you for letting me know." and fix it immediately. Other than that have fun, just be conservative with that you do and you will be fine! It's an awesome experience!

 

[MaybeDr]

Hello everyone, on Monday I will be shadowing an opthamalogist in the OR. I know he has a few cataract surgeries just FYI. Since it is my first time being in the OR what should i expect? Thanks.

I did a lot of my clinical research ophth. I saw quite a few procedures in the OR. It really depends on your doctor. I was allowed to look through the microscope the entire time. He would play Rush or Led Zep and we'd chat the whole time. He'd point out pathologies, explain each instrument, and explain exactly what he's doing. Your procedures are going to be REALLY fast. BE very aware of your surroundings and sterile field. If you want to ask a question wait until he/she talks to you. After he/she talks to you they've initiated that they have the capacity to talk. After they finish speaking to you, ask away. Just don't be overzealous. Honestly I always do some back up research on every doc, what medical school, residency, and UG they went to so there isn't a single awkward moment outside of the OR.

 

[Kaustikos]

Introduce yourself to the nurses. Tell them who you are and, more importantly, how you can learn without impeding. Nurses tend to appreciate when you're honest. Sure, they may baby and tease you, but it's way better than the alternative.

Also, if you feel the slightest bit lightheaded or dizzy, do NOT brush it off.

 

[IlDestriero]

Don't touch anything.

 

[Ismet]

Don't touch anything that's blue or anything that is sitting on anything that is blue. When I'm not scrubbed in, I stand with my hands behind my back so I can be sure I don't accidentally hit something when trying to look at the field. But with ophtho surgery, you'll likely be watching the screen while the docs look through the scope, so you might not even be near the sterile field.

If they don't tell you beforehand, you need to wear a mask before you go into the room, even if the patient is not there. The first time I was ever in the OR, no one told me this, and I got reamed out by the circulating nurse for setting foot inside the door.

Patients are often awake but lightly sedated for cataract surgery, so I'd refrain from asking questions during the procedure unless they tell you it's okay or ask if you have any questions. When I went to see some ophtho cases, there was a resident observing as well and we sat far from the table so he could explain what was going on without the patient hearing. Make a list of questions in your head and ask them at the end if there's no one there to explain it to you.

Also learn how to spell ophthalmologist and cataract.

 

[Ismet]

Also moving thread to pre-allo and merging cross-posted threads.

 

[sunshine02]

Oh I did that! It was fun. He let me sit at the head of the patient and look through the scope with him. 😀

 

[blackroses]

Rule #1 of the OR: if you feel like you're going to faint (even the tiniest dizzy or light headed) SIT DOWN. Seriously. Sit your butt down on the floor right where you are. That way if you pass out you don't thunk your head on the floor and give the surgeon another patient to worry about. Nothing makes a surgeon more angry than someone passing out in their OR while they were standing up.

 

[NeuResurgens]

Watch our for the sterile field (this generally refers to the instrument table, the patient and, specifically, the surgical site). Try to stay at least 4 feet away from the field if possible, and never turn your back on it. At least, this is etiquette in the OR's I've been in during surgery.

 

[Enginerd2016]

Reiterating: DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. But seriously, this will be a great experience! Depending on the doctor you shadow there could be multiple ways this goes down. One let me stand really close to the patient, another told me to stand back and watch the monitors. I got to see the Da Vinci in actions several times too, which was super legit and I got to see both the console where the surgeon worked and stand near the robotic arms! It was a total geek out moment for the engineer in me.

But I was trying to say, before I went on a tangent, just to be careful, stand out of the way until prompted to approach. Generally you are supposed to be quiet while in the OR, but I found that many nurses/PAs etc. asked me a lot of questions.