[RNOTODAY]

I heard a conversation a surgeon and a new ST were having at the field one day while I was giving a lunch break. The tech was saying how she was probably going to nursing school, and that when she was an RN, she would only be a circulating nurse in the OR, not any other area. The surgeon replied: : "A circulator? Why would you want to do that?? No self respecting nurse would want to be a circulator. Why? to get yelled at by the managers that your not documenting enough? Be a real nurse, take care of patients"
I thought I liked this guy, too.... I just cant *not* be offended by this. Am I being too sensitive? Do surgeons in general look at us in the OR as not "real" nurses? I feel like telling every nurse I work with what he said, because everybody raves about how much they like working with him....
What do you guys think/feel if you heard this?

[SandraHeartTeamRN]

hmmmmm, have to think on that for a moment....

The only thing I can think about along the same lines was was one day I was saying what the scrubs do is (can't remember the exact words) more important/technical/harder.. and one of my least favorite surgeons said they couldn't work without the nurse. Not sure if he just meant legally or what. He's kind of a butt so it just threw me.

I've worked on the floor and IMO I'm just as much a "real nurse" now as then.

Does this guy not realize they have to chart EVERYTHING on the floor also????

still thinking.........

[WitchyRN]

Try not to let it get to you...I look at this way, nurses are supposed to be advocates for their patients. Especially in the OR-he may have something against circulators because one(or two) have put him in his place before. I've had to confront surgeons when I feel that I need to and you learn as an OR nurse that you are frequently the bad guy because you're not letting the big baby get his/her way. This bothered me at first, now I take a weird sort of pride in it.

Stay strong and ignore that D-bag

[openheartmary]

My personal opinion is that most everyone (except us circulators) feel that way. My lightning moment came when your very scenario happened to me. I walked up and told them both they were entitled to their opinion, but the bottom line was not another surgery would be done in my room until my say so; I was the nurse, this was my patient, and nothing happened in my room unless I allowed it. The surgeon quickly apologized, backtracked, and has never spoken that way again (at least around me).

[TakeTwoAspirin]

I once had a surgeon tell me I was simply a glorified waitress - run and fetch this, run and fetch that, etc.

You cannot be responsible for what some J--k thinks. Just do what is right for your patient. They are the ones were are ultimately there to "serve".

[MsLeylaBar]

I would definitely be offended if I was in the same situation. Please do tell the other nurses what the surgeon said.

I feel lucky that in the place where I work now, I feel that the OR nurses are really valued and are considered a very significant part of our organization.

[brewerpaul]

My wife works on a floor while she's going to NP school, and believe me they spend a LOT MORE time charting tons and tons of minutae.

[shodobe]

Just another example of a clueless surgeon! I would just blow it off to another lowly surgeon who wears blinders all day in the OR and doesn't really see what is really going on. His little world! I feel the surgeons that I work with really do appreciate what role we fill and understand all the headaches we have to put up with.

[brewerpaul]

You might want to remind this guy that all that documenting that you are doing is at least in part to save his sorry ass in case things go wrong: documenting that everything was done properly is the best defense in a malpractice case! I speak from both sides of the surgical table, since I was a practicing podiatrist for 30 years before going to nursing school and ending up as an OR circulator. I attended tons of risk management classes and meetings and every single one listed good documentation as the best defense.
BTW-- people often ask me if "becoming a nurse isn't a step DOWN from being a Doctor". I always tell them that I look at it as a step sideways --different, but equally important patient care.
Above all else, YOU have to respect yourself and what you do. If you feel you are doing a good, respectable job, then the hell with anyone else. Very few people outside of the OR have any idea what a circulator does. Try to educate them, but realize that to many people you will always appear to be a "gofer".

[fletchmo]

Doctors have bad days and say stupid things too. Although the words weren't picked well, perhaps this surgeon was thinking that it was really important to have a solid nursing background before committing to a life in the OR.
What is really important is that if you plan a career in the Operating Room, you'd better toughen up. Surgery is stressful and often brings out the worst in people. In this stressful environment, it's the nurse that remembers the patient's welfare is more important than an ego massage who will shine in the Operating Room.

Hang in there--your self respect will turn into respect from others.