Wednesday, February 20, 2013

OR Observations

I had the opportunity to observe in the OR today and it was AWESOME.

I had no problems watching the gory/gross stuff, in fact, I find it very fascinating. I do know after this experience that I have no desire to be an OR nurse. While watching the procedures is very cool, the job looks very boring.

Also, (some) doctors apparently don't give a shit about contact precautions.

It helps to have OCD when you work in the OR; the surgical techs ROCK it.

OR scrubs are really uncomfortable because they don't fit right.

Breathing through the mask takes some getting used to, and you can easily fog up your protective glasses.

As I was watching a particularly nasty wound debridement, I knew I'd do okay, because while the nurse was doing a sponge count and gobbets of necrotic tissue plopped onto the floor, all I was thinking was, "I hope nobody can hear my stomach growl...when can I go to lunch, dammit?!" (Though possibly it wasn't such a great idea to add teriyaki chicken tenders to my salad when I finally made it to the cafeteria, that did give me a brief "moment"...)

Another takeaway from this experience: I hope I never have a medical student stitch me up, though I guess they do need to practice. Just not on me.

I saw an albino squirrel on my way home. Random, I know.

4 comments:

Old NFO said...

LOL, good for you!!! THAT is a major hurdle...

Bob S. said...

LOL...first time I've came across an actual case of "A.D.O.S"

"Attention Deficit, Oh Squirrel !!"

Suldog said...

You're a better man than I am, Gunga. I don't faint at the sight of blood or anything like that, but viewing surgeries leaves me a bit queasy. Thank God for folks like you, though. Without your sort, we'd all die by age forty, in all likelihood.

Weer'd Beard said...

Cool cool. Yeah when you know what's happening the "Gross" factor vanishes to pure learning.

Also said Squirrels aren't albino, they're WHITE. They have dark eyes and noses, and a few in that population have dark patches of fur.