First Week in the OR

I can't believe I only have 2 weeks left of my internship. It has been a great experience but I'm ready to get back to into the school routine too. The rest of my week continued pretty much the same as the first day. My mentor "C" and I go from room to room relieving nurses for about 30 minutes so they can go eat. At first I just observed but little by little C let me start to chart, put things on the sterile field, go get supplies, position the patient, etc. It's hard during surgery for her to teach me because if the surgeon asks for something she has to get it immediately, she can't really take the time to explain to me where it is and have me go get it. But, by Friday I had learned where a lot of things were located and how to give it to the surgeon or surgical tech without breaking sterile technique so she allowed me to do it.

This whole week was pretty slow and there were many times during the day when we would sit and wait for a surgery to start or to go relieve someone. I'm sure it will get old after a while but it was kind of nice to not be as stressed and frantic as it was on Women's Speciality and L and D. Also, since we work 11 AM- 7 PM instead of 12 hour shifts, the day goes by really quickly. The only problem is I have to drive to the hospital 2 extra days which is 2 extra hours of driving.

The atmosphere in the OR is very intense and I am surprised by how harshly people talk to one another. For example, I have seen many surgeons be blatantly upset with a nurse or anesthesiologist for not setting up something correctly. At these times I try to stay out of the way because I don't want to get yelled at! I understand why this happens, time is money in the OR and people's lives are truly on the line but I don't know if I would want to work in that sort of environment day after day. I've noticed most of the nurses and other employees in the OR are very tough and I think that you have to have that sort of personality to function in that work setting...so I think I will stick to L and D!

Speaking of Labor and Delivery, I went early to work on Thursday because I needed T to sign a form for me and when I walked into the L and D nurses station she told me her patient was about to deliver and asked if I wanted to come! Obviously I did so I went with her in the room, set up all of the equipment, helped the patient push and 5 minutes later the baby was there! I then was able to be the baby nurse and hang out on the floor for a while! It was a great way to start the day and really affirmed to me that that is the type of nursing I want to get into. Comparing the atmosphere and responsibility of the nurses on L and D to the OR, I know that it is more of a match for me. But I know these next two weeks in the OR will be a valuable experience and will fly by!