4 answers
Sierra
Student
Wood Village, OR
3
Questions
Updated
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Are there lots of moments in which a surgical technologist tends to get in the way of the surgeon?
I am a 19 year old Job Corps student that wants to do something in the medical field. I want to know if being in the way of surgeons will potentially be an issue as a new worker.
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4 answers
Dawn Boisvert
RN, BSN, CHPN, NC-BC, Freelance Nurse Writer
6
Answers
Cary, North Carolina
Updated
Dawn’s Answer
Hello Sierra!
Thank you for exploring this profession! Being a surgical technician is such an important job!! Not only is it important, it's also very interesting. You can learn so much about the human body and many surgical procedures standing at the surgical field assisting surgeons. I was always amazed, and still am, by surgical techs and their ability to just "know what to do" to help the surgeon.
Of course, as new operating room nurse or surgical tech, you won't feel this way initially. But you will have all of the skills needed to perform your job efficiently and effectively, and will also learn surgeon preferences along the way with more experience.
This a great question, and one I thought about too when I worked in the operating room as a new preoperative nurse scrubbing in on cases. I remember asking the surgeon where I should stand the first time I scrubbed in on a pace maker insertion, and he said, "Wherever you're comfortable". I got lucky that day because I was nervous and he put my mind at ease with that answer.
As a surgical technician, you will be trained to learn all of the instruments and how to hand them to the surgeon. You will also learn where to stand at the surgical field. Depending whether your standing next to or opposite of the surgeon, or if your right handed or left handed, you will learn how to hand the instruments to them without "getting in their way". You will also learn how to maintain a sterile field and help others to maintain that sterile field as well-including new medical students, fellows, and us new circulating nurses ;) I learned SO MUCH from working with the surgical technicians in my Transplant cluster in the OR at Yale New Haven Hospital.
I hope this helped answer your question.
YOU'VE GOT THIS!
Thank you for exploring this profession! Being a surgical technician is such an important job!! Not only is it important, it's also very interesting. You can learn so much about the human body and many surgical procedures standing at the surgical field assisting surgeons. I was always amazed, and still am, by surgical techs and their ability to just "know what to do" to help the surgeon.
Of course, as new operating room nurse or surgical tech, you won't feel this way initially. But you will have all of the skills needed to perform your job efficiently and effectively, and will also learn surgeon preferences along the way with more experience.
This a great question, and one I thought about too when I worked in the operating room as a new preoperative nurse scrubbing in on cases. I remember asking the surgeon where I should stand the first time I scrubbed in on a pace maker insertion, and he said, "Wherever you're comfortable". I got lucky that day because I was nervous and he put my mind at ease with that answer.
As a surgical technician, you will be trained to learn all of the instruments and how to hand them to the surgeon. You will also learn where to stand at the surgical field. Depending whether your standing next to or opposite of the surgeon, or if your right handed or left handed, you will learn how to hand the instruments to them without "getting in their way". You will also learn how to maintain a sterile field and help others to maintain that sterile field as well-including new medical students, fellows, and us new circulating nurses ;) I learned SO MUCH from working with the surgical technicians in my Transplant cluster in the OR at Yale New Haven Hospital.
I hope this helped answer your question.
YOU'VE GOT THIS!
Susan Burg
Surgical Technician
25
Answers
Torrance, California
Updated
Susan’s Answer
Hi Sierra.
We don't normally get in their way.
It can happen when your in tight working cases. Generally, when I've been to close, the surgeon will say something funny and ask me to take a couple of steps over. They understand the situation. Really, it happens mostly with OB/GYN cases. Those are close tight cases. Don't worry over it. There are lots of things that are normal in the operating room that are NOT normal in any other profession.
We don't normally get in their way.
It can happen when your in tight working cases. Generally, when I've been to close, the surgeon will say something funny and ask me to take a couple of steps over. They understand the situation. Really, it happens mostly with OB/GYN cases. Those are close tight cases. Don't worry over it. There are lots of things that are normal in the operating room that are NOT normal in any other profession.
Dawn Boisvert
RN, BSN, CHPN, NC-BC, Freelance Nurse Writer
6
Answers
Cary, North Carolina
Updated
Dawn’s Answer
Hello Sierra!
Thank you for exploring this profession! Being a surgical technician is such an important job!! Not only is it important, it's also very interesting. You can learn so much about the human body and many surgical procedures standing at the surgical field assisting surgeons. I was always amazed, and still am, by surgical techs and their ability to just "know what to do" to help the surgeon.
Of course, as new operating room nurse or surgical tech, you won't feel this way initially. But you will have all of the skills needed to perform your job efficiently and effectively, and will also learn surgeon preferences along the way with more experience.
This a great question, and one I thought about too when I worked in the operating room as a new preoperative nurse scrubbing in on cases. I remember asking the surgeon where I should stand the first time I scrubbed in on a pace maker insertion, and he said, "Wherever you're comfortable". I got lucky that day because I was nervous and he put my mind at ease with that answer.
As a surgical technician, you will be trained to learn all of the instruments and how to hand them to the surgeon. You will also learn where to stand at the surgical field. Depending whether your standing next to or opposite of the surgeon, or if your right handed or left handed, you will learn how to hand the instruments to them without "getting in their way". You will also learn how to maintain a sterile field and help others to maintain that sterile field as well-including new media students, fellows, and us new circulating nurses ;) I learned SO MUCH from working with the surgical technicians in my Transplant cluster in the OR at Yale New Haven Hospital.
I hope this helped answer your question.
YOU'VE GOT THIS!
Thank you for exploring this profession! Being a surgical technician is such an important job!! Not only is it important, it's also very interesting. You can learn so much about the human body and many surgical procedures standing at the surgical field assisting surgeons. I was always amazed, and still am, by surgical techs and their ability to just "know what to do" to help the surgeon.
Of course, as new operating room nurse or surgical tech, you won't feel this way initially. But you will have all of the skills needed to perform your job efficiently and effectively, and will also learn surgeon preferences along the way with more experience.
This a great question, and one I thought about too when I worked in the operating room as a new preoperative nurse scrubbing in on cases. I remember asking the surgeon where I should stand the first time I scrubbed in on a pace maker insertion, and he said, "Wherever you're comfortable". I got lucky that day because I was nervous and he put my mind at ease with that answer.
As a surgical technician, you will be trained to learn all of the instruments and how to hand them to the surgeon. You will also learn where to stand at the surgical field. Depending whether your standing next to or opposite of the surgeon, or if your right handed or left handed, you will learn how to hand the instruments to them without "getting in their way". You will also learn how to maintain a sterile field and help others to maintain that sterile field as well-including new media students, fellows, and us new circulating nurses ;) I learned SO MUCH from working with the surgical technicians in my Transplant cluster in the OR at Yale New Haven Hospital.
I hope this helped answer your question.
YOU'VE GOT THIS!
William Nwaogu
Construction, CAD and BIM
299
Answers
Lagos, Nigeria
Updated
William’s Answer
Surgical Technologist are more into instrumentation (operation of equipments) aspects of surgery, while Surgeons are into diagnoses and therapy with the help of Surgical Technologists.
They both work together in the surgical theater when carrying out surgical operations.
They both work together in the surgical theater when carrying out surgical operations.