My only OT posting went by….just like that. Swap.Bang. WHam. Over.
I did more eyepower than anything else….till my eyes hurt and almost popped out of my head (not from all the blood and gore).
I felt redundant in all the OTs that I went to…. though I saw alot of surgeries, understood the uses of some of the tools and could even anticipate the surgeons needs in some of the cases, I did not get a chance to scrub in. WTF.
This is definitely a sign. Twice….TWICE I was so close to scrubbing in when forces beyond my control prevented me from doing so.
The first case was for an inguinal hernia operation. Yippie! I know we need staplers, prolene mesh cut to size (for this surgeon) and etc tools. The surgeon even told the staff nurses that the operation would not take more than half an hour….even though he had 3 other heavy duty operations scheduled. He wanted to do it that day, giving me a chance to scrub in. BUT, the stupid anaesthetist transferred the case out to another theatre because she knew that if she didn’t, she would not be going home on time that day. So back and forth the surgeon and the anaesthetist argued about it….the S/Ns were pissed cos they were ready to do the operation and I was crossing my fingers that the surgeon’s voice was "louder" than the anaesthetist’s. BUT that anaesthetist was smart, knowing the surgeon was held up in the current chole case….she went around him and had the hernia patient inducted into another theatre….an ENT theatre! WTF.
So after finishing the chole case, the surgeon had to run to the ENT theatre and scrub in for the hernia case, I followed along cos I wanted to scrub in as well. However, the S/Ns at that theatre were all juniors and they were ENT trained…not peri-op trained and my CI told me that they could not let me scrub in without an experienced or senior peri-op S/N because of legal reasons. Argh!!!!!
Then on my last day, I had ANOTHER chance to scrub in….for a hemorrhoidectomy case…. excited again, I told the senior S/N to let me scrub in and she agreed. AGain, I missed the chance when my CI told me that…between going for a presentation and scrubbing in for the case(which was at the same time as the presentation)….. going for the presentation was more important. Drats!!!
So, I did lots of eyepower during my OT posting. Though I found it interesting…being able to observe surgical procedures and seeing various body organs… I found the environment to be pretty stale. As a S/N in the OT, you’re REALLY the handmaiden to the surgeons who gets away with pulling power over you because they can and you alllow them to. It sickens me to see the lack of camaraderie and respect between surgeons and nurses, especially the younger and snobby surgeons. I cannot deny that I have learnt alot about the surgical environment and the procedures as well as tools used. I can now understand what it means to have a really beautiful operation and a normal operation.
There is a difference and the difference lies in the surgeon who is operating on you.
There is not much patient care in the OT and basically, as long as you’ve covered the legal liabilities in a surgical operation, a S/N in the OT really do have it easier. Stress? Yes, maybe if you do not understand the operation itself or the use of the tools and cannot anticipate the surgeon’s needs but, if you’ve had 2 years experience in the OT….it might actually become boring….all you do is hand instruments….clean instruments….hand instruments…clean instruments….and all the adminsitrative work again. You won’t even get to communicate much with the patient at all since, chance are they’ll be under sedation.
In the ward, though I feel tired physically and mentally, it is more challenging. I feel the excitement and adrenaline rush whenever I am in the ward. Partly because you have to be confident enough to make judgment calls, have to react fast to demands from patients, family members and doctors. There is just so much more interaction going on and, most importantly, you know that the ward is your domain. You have a hand in the patient’s memories of his hospital stay while, the surgeon has a hand in ensuring the patient gets to a ward to experience that. So, given a choice between the OT or the ward, I’d choose the ward.
Now, I’m left with my medical, surgical and mental posting while next semester….I’ll get to try the emergency dept posting…hopefully, I’ll do more than provide eyepower….
