15 minute scrub?

[SC APRN, DNP, APRN, NP]

I'm a nursing student and experienced CST, today in lecture my instructor told us all scrub nurses wash their hands for a minimum of 15 minutes for a surgical hand wash.

All I kept thinking after that was: 1. my boss and surgeon wondering why our room was so far behind 2. GSW, ruptured AAA, any other stat/trauma case and standing there washing my hands for a quarter of an hour.....

I remember doing 10 minute scrubs for every case when I first started, am I missing something or is she way off?

(my brain is fried from school, but geez??)

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

I'm going to go with she's way off, or using extremely outdated information. AORN states that a 3 minute scrub is as effective as a 5 minute scrub. The hospital policy is 3 minute scrub for at least first scrub of the day, then either 3 minute scrub or waterless hand rub.

[ORoxyO]

Our policy is similiar with a 3-5 minute scrub first and after lunch followed by either 3 minute or waterless afterwards. One doctor here wants 3 minute every time though, and one very old urologist requires 10 minutes for penile implants procedures.

[Zeppelingirl]

I'm a nursing student and experienced CST, today in lecture my instructor told us all scrub nurses wash their hands for a minimum of 15 minutes for a surgical hand wash.

All I kept thinking after that was: 1. my boss and surgeon wondering why our room was so far behind 2. GSW, ruptured AAA, any other stat/trauma case and standing there washing my hands for a quarter of an hour.....

I remember doing 10 minute scrubs for every case when I first started, am I missing something or is she way off?

(my brain is fried from school, but geez??)

I have seen as long as a 5 minute scrub and as little as 30 seconds with Avagard. No one has 15 minutes to scrub, that's breakfast break.

[wooh, BSN, RN]

Our policy is similiar with a 3-5 minute scrub first and after lunch followed by either 3 minute or waterless afterwards. One doctor here wants 3 minute every time though, and one very old urologist requires 10 minutes for penile implants procedures.

I'm betting he's a man? They tend to be very protective of the member. :)

[Dtorrez24]

I graduated 3 years ago with my AS, in the same year I completed my BSN online while I worked in a post op/med surg GI floor for about a year. Then, for the past two years I have been working as a visiting nurse; however I fell in love with OR nursing when I first heard about it. I have applied everywhere however I have received different responses. Some say I do not have "recent med surg experience"; some say I sort of qualify to be a "new nurse" and recommend me to "get more experience". Others state, I have too much experience and I cannot be trained with the new nurses. What do I do? PLease help.

[Dtorrez24]

I graduated 3 years ago with my AS, in the same year I completed my BSN online while I worked in a post op/med surg GI floor for about a year. Then, for the past two years I have been working as a visiting nurse; however I fell in love with OR nursing when I first heard about it. I have applied everywhere however I have received different responses. Some say I do not have "recent med surg experience"; some say I sort of qualify to be a "new nurse" and recommend me to "get more experience". Others state, I have too much experience and I cannot be trained with the new nurses. What do I do? PLease help.