OREX #2: Things I noticed

Going into something for the second time usually means that most of my nervousness has dissipated, and I have some semblance of confidence. Even if that means confidence in my ability to be a wallflower in the operating room. It also means that I notice things that I hadn't noticed the first time around.

For one, the process of a surgeon "scrubbing in" is really fascinating to me. I've rarely seen ED doctors wash their hands (you didn't hear it from me), but surgeons have a strict ritual from sterile soaps, pushing the OR door with their hips with hands dripping wet, waiting for the circulating nurse to hand them an autoclaved hand towel, being helped into their gowns and two sets of tight gloves...I just can't help but stare at the whole dance. Since I'm not allowed to touch or stand near anything blue--which includes sterile drapes, instrument tables, or surgeons themselves--I don't even have to wash my hands. But since I'm a germaphobe, I do anyway. Just not with the same rigor as a surgeon.

Dr. Harken treats all of his nurses and fellow doctors with grace and kindness. I am so glad that he is my mentor and I want to be like him. Even in tense situations, he doesn't raise his voice. Sutures by nervous medical students are praised, "Yes!"s of approval are heartily and frequently spoken, and he always thanks his team for their hard work and asks if I have questions. Not so with three of the four other doctors that I've observed today. During one case, an overworked circulating nurse was given five orders at once, from five different people. In a moment of chaos, B was forced to grab blood-soaked equipment from under the table with his bare hands because the surgeon barked, "I don't care what you're doing, stop it and get me the damned pedal!" The poor guy didn't even have time to put on gloves. When he finally sat down to record the chart, I whispered to him, "They should pay you more." But what I wanted to do was to yell at the doctors and help B out and maybe massage his shoulders....or not.



When I'm in the Emergency Department, I know how to do things without understanding why I am doing them. In the operating room, I understand what is happening without knowing how to do anything. It's quite the learning experience.