When I read Rachael’s new post on how to be a better scrub nurse, it got me thinking about how many cases we have done together and she left out something I thought was very important. What did she forget to mention? A great scrub nurse will learn as much as they can from their surgeon. Most of the surgeons I worked with were amazing teachers. I wanted to know why they were using a vicryl tie rather than a silk. Why did they choose the sh needle? Why the 6-0 prolene on a bv-1? I always asked a ton of questions, I studied my instruments and, I did my best to learn my surgeons technique. One thing that would always crack me up is when the surgeon would say “I do this the same way every time”. When you scrub for multiple surgeons who each have their “own way” of doing the same procedure, sometimes your ESP doesn’t always work but, if you read their preference cards you might save yourself an ass-chewing.
Another tip for being a good scrub, learn your surgeons personality, this doesn’t take long. If they don’t like to talk…then shut up. If they like classical music and you don’t then…shut up. If they have been on call for three days straight…then shut up. It’s the surgeons room, not yours, just go with the flow. Your reason for being there is to take care of your patient. My surgeon should be able to focus all of their attention on the patient, they should not have to stop to ask for things that they obviously need. Not a hard concept. If blood is going all over the place, get more laps. If the bovie falls onto the floor, get another bovie. Well, you get the point.
As nurses, whatever specialty we are practicing in: operating room, emergency room, obstetrics, home health, office etc. if we take a little extra time, to learn a little more (and not just those mandated c.e.u. hours), it ensures we are bettering ourselves as caretakers.
