[Marie_LPN]

I was scheduled to be the first assist in a general room today, a whole 8 hours of hernia repairs, which made for a good friday, since that surgeon's very fun to work with, and it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. A surg tech was assigned in the room as well.

It was up to her to set up the table and tray, since she would be the one working off of it (she sets it up according to our facility's 'preferred' set-up). And after the second case, i said "I'll open and set up if you want a break, and then all you'll have to do is count and run the table" and i scrubbed and set up the table and tray the way she normally does it.

Well it took all of 5 minutes to set up everything, and by then the pt. was brough in, given anesthesia, and the surgeon comes in, signs papers, goes out, scrubs, comes in and i assist him into gown and gloves. The tech followed him in after she scrubbed and i assisted her with gown and gloved. The circulator prepped, surgeon placed the sticky towels and i handed the surgeon the big drape (he perferred to place it himself).

The circulator set a standing platform the opposite side of the surgeon, which was PUT THERE for ME, yet this tech took it upon herself to stand up on that platform right across from Dr. M______ like SHE was going to assist!!! I said "I need some space between you and the armboard, please, in order for me to assist Dr. M____". She said "I think it's my turn, since you're ALWAYS first on these cases". I said, "I'm scheduled as the first assist, you haven't been given the permission by your preceptor or any training to be the first, so please scoot over, since Dr. M_____ is ready to begin". She stepped down. She developed somewhat of an attitude during that case, i noticed. When i would asked for a retractor ("please?"), she slapped it in my hand so hard that it stung a few times. And a few times, when i would ask for a 'snap' (small Kelly clamp), i had to ask 3 times before she would finally slap one to my hand, yet if Dr. M asked for something, she handed it to him the proper way.

I didn't give her the satisfaction of knowing she ticked me off with that stunt, yet, when i went for my 'break', i took my break in the supervisor's office, explaining the situation. The circulator vouched for me, since she witnessed the whole thing. It was easy to figure out when the supervisor spoke with the tech, because the tech literally stuck her nose in the air when she would walk by me.

Majority of the techs at work are great, but still, it really ticked me off that someone would do that, and i have no idea what posesses people sometimes into think that they can do whatever they want to do.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Sorry you had to go through that Marie. Hope the tech will realize that her attitude will get her nowhere fast.

[DidiRN]

Good for you for standing your ground! Bet that's the last time she messes with you.

Sherri

[jaimealmostRN]

Are surg techs allowed to be first assists??? She/he must have had something to prove by taking your spot. You could also mention this to his/her preceptor.

[Marie_LPN]

At our facility they can be first on PEG insertions, M/M caths, and minor surgery stuff.

[shodobe]

Marie, I hope you aren't Max Klinger in disquise! The tech should be taken aside by your director and given the rules. I am surprised the surgeon allowed this to go on. Techs, at least some of them, do have a holier than though attitude and sometimes do not know their role in room. Some will never except the fact of what they are allowed to do and what they are not allowed to do. Good luck with Ms/Mr Attitude. Mike

[Marie_LPN]

Evidently the supervisor had taken her aside after i had talked to the supervisor, considering the way she acted when i passed her in the hall. One thing about out supervisor, when there's a problem, she's ON it till it's fixed.

It all happened so quick, the surgeon probbly didn't notice. Another reason why i think the surgeon didn't notice is that with a gown and mask on, you don't necessarily know who's there for what, and he might not have known she was a tech (she's new, hasn't been there very long).

(and i figure it's up to the supervisor to mention this tto the tech's preceptor, though.)

[carcha]

I'm truly dumbfounded on this one imagining the whole scenario. Two adults fighting over who holds a retractor. Here only the junior doctor whose name no one knows performs that "vital duty", because the rest of us are busy performing nursing duties. If I had been the RN in that room I would have thrown the both of you out until you got some sense. The surgeon must have got a kick out of it though, the two of you carrying on.

[ShirleyM]

Marie, every now and then I get those days like your thread title, it's usually because my scrub will get extra needy and ask for stuff the attending didn't even ask for.
I work in a teaching hospital, so the surgeons don't care who holds the retractor be it med student, resident, fellow or scrub person. Where I work the last thing the scrub wants to do is hold the retractor. I only have one co-worker has tried to first assist and that was when the attendee had broken out and the resident and med student were closing on subcu. This same scrub (an ST) has this thing about doing the Duraprep prep but I don't let her.

[Marie_LPN]

Originally Posted by carcha

I'm truly dumbfounded on this one imagining the whole scenario. Two adults fighting over who holds a retractor. Here only the junior doctor whose name no one knows performs that "vital duty", because the rest of us are busy performing nursing duties. If I had been the RN in that room I would have thrown the both of you out until you got some sense. The surgeon must have got a kick out of it though, the two of you carrying on.

LOL! No one carried on. It was a low voiced exchange of words that went on in less than a few seconds. Had she followed the rules, it never would have happened. The sense that i had was to follow what MY preceptor had said and what HER preceptor had said. I had been told she was not allowed to first, therefore i had to do something about it and quick.

And i wasn't there to just hold a retractor, and how insulting of you to refer to that as "vital duty". I was there to assist with whatever needed assisting. I am a nurse, according to the state board, and where i work as well, and i perform nursing duties in the OR that my facilty and the state board say that i can, and that does go beyond holding retractor.