OR Pet peeves

Specialties Operating Room

Published

  • Specializes in Med-Surg;Rehab;Gerontology; Now OR.

You are reading page 8 of OR Pet peeves

occrn21

19 Posts

* Being asked is the room and pt ready by anesthesia, when walking back from PACU.

* Answering the surgeons phone throughout the entire case.

ChristineAdrianaRN, BSN, RN

1 Article; 168 Posts

Specializes in Pediatric and Adult OR.

Oh, these are all spot-on!

My list:

1) Surgeons not listening during time-outs. Huge pet peeve. There is one in particular. I’m not one to shout, “TIME OUT” and interrupt conversations, I make sure the anesthesia team finishes their debriefing about medication doses, but there is one doc that purposefully STARTS a conversation with his resident when I start the time out. The next time he does it, I’m doing the ORIF thing – he’s a neurosurgeon, too. I’m sick to death of it.

2) Surgeons that argue with me about marking a surgical site. If it’s a right vs. left, MARK IT. I don’t care if you’re doing an EUA of both ears, you’re actually making an incision in only one of them, SO MARK IT. It takes two seconds of your time! What kills me is that I’m covering THEIR ass, too. You should be thanking me, because otherwise my manager is going to come and tell me to write an occurrence report on your ass if we did a right vs. left surgery without marking. MARK THE DAMN SITE.

3) Anesthesia personnel that feel they are above making phone calls. Even though they have their own phone by their machine. Apparently we are their personal secretaries. Not much we can do about it, because their argument is that they can’t take their eyes off the monitor to call their anesthesia tech for equipment, or call their attending into the room to start waking up (ya know, while I’m charting dressings, stop times, helping clean betadine off, getting an O2 mask and monitor, pulling the bed in, and they haven’t started actually waking up yet), yet they can sit there and text the whole time during the case.

4) SPD technicians that tell me they “don’t have” something, when the tray is actually on case carts for the next day. Newsflash – the patient on the table needs it more than the patient scheduled for tomorrow.

5) +1 to the medical students barging in, flying past you without introducing themselves or writing their name up on the board, introduce themselves to the surgeon only (Just call me Chopped Liver, RN), and then go scrub in without getting their gloves. Then they get the hand-on-the-hip, “Son, let me tell you an m’f’n thing about life” look from me. If they seem truly sorry and sheepish about it, I’ll get them their gloves and tell them firmly how to do it next time. If they have a bratty air about them, I make them get their own gloves, write their names out, and go scrub a second time.

6) Finding the consent says something ENTIRELY different than what the schedule prepared you for (the laparoscopic vs open is a big one) and then the doc is peeved that we weren’t better prepared. I just say, “Talk to your scheduler. She’s the one that screwed you here, not me.

7) Herding sheep. There is one CRNA that, if she’s ready before we are, even if we are 2 minutes from finishing, will DISAPPEAR on a break. You know we’re ready to bring the kid back ANY SECOND now (and they are required by policy to come with me). Don’t effing LEAVE because I’m not searching all over creation in every break room and lounge area to fetch your ass.

8) When I scrub, I get supremely annoyed when the circulator and anesthesia person leave without asking me if I’m ready (or, hell, using their damn brains and LOOKING at the back table to see where I am) and all I’ve done is open. Uh, I can’t exactly tie up my own gown!

9) Working with a second circulator in your room when the two of you don’t exactly jive. One is working on charting, the other (usually me, because I’m the “young, fit” one) does the running around. The last time we had this set up, I had been using my Ascom phone to call the PACU when we’re ready to come over. All of a sudden in the middle of the day, when a procedure had JUST finished, even though I had been handling calling them all day, she says, “Have you called PACU yet?!” I said, “No, I call them when the patient is extubated.” And she goes, “I’ll call them” as if I’m doing something wrong. Surprise – 20 minute wake-up! Then we have to call again anyway to make sure they still have a bed available. There is a REASON I do things the way I do it. If you say you want to “focus on charting” then do so, and let me handle what I say I’m going to handle!

Okay, that’s all I got for now.

CIRQL8

295 Posts

Specializes in Only the O.R. and proud of it!.
Oh, these are all spot-on!

My list:

1) Surgeons not listening during time-outs. Huge pet peeve. There is one in particular. I’m not one to shout, “TIME OUT” and interrupt conversations, I make sure the anesthesia team finishes their debriefing about medication doses, but there is one doc that purposefully STARTS a conversation with his resident when I start the time out. The next time he does it, I’m doing the ORIF thing – he’s a neurosurgeon, too. I’m sick to death of it.

2) Surgeons that argue with me about marking a surgical site. If it’s a right vs. left, MARK IT. I don’t care if you’re doing an EUA of both ears, you’re actually making an incision in only one of them, SO MARK IT. It takes two seconds of your time! What kills me is that I’m covering THEIR ass, too. You should be thanking me, because otherwise my manager is going to come and tell me to write an occurrence report on your ass if we did a right vs. left surgery without marking. MARK THE DAMN SITE.

3) Anesthesia personnel that feel they are above making phone calls. Even though they have their own phone by their machine. Apparently we are their personal secretaries. Not much we can do about it, because their argument is that they can’t take their eyes off the monitor to call their anesthesia tech for equipment, or call their attending into the room to start waking up (ya know, while I’m charting dressings, stop times, helping clean betadine off, getting an O2 mask and monitor, pulling the bed in, and they haven’t started actually waking up yet), yet they can sit there and text the whole time during the case.

4) SPD technicians that tell me they “don’t have” something, when the tray is actually on case carts for the next day. Newsflash – the patient on the table needs it more than the patient scheduled for tomorrow.

5) +1 to the medical students barging in, flying past you without introducing themselves or writing their name up on the board, introduce themselves to the surgeon only (Just call me Chopped Liver, RN), and then go scrub in without getting their gloves. Then they get the hand-on-the-hip, “Son, let me tell you an m’f’n thing about life” look from me. If they seem truly sorry and sheepish about it, I’ll get them their gloves and tell them firmly how to do it next time. If they have a bratty air about them, I make them get their own gloves, write their names out, and go scrub a second time.

6) Finding the consent says something ENTIRELY different than what the schedule prepared you for (the laparoscopic vs open is a big one) and then the doc is peeved that we weren’t better prepared. I just say, “Talk to your scheduler. She’s the one that screwed you here, not me.

7) Herding sheep. There is one CRNA that, if she’s ready before we are, even if we are 2 minutes from finishing, will DISAPPEAR on a break. You know we’re ready to bring the kid back ANY SECOND now (and they are required by policy to come with me). Don’t effing LEAVE because I’m not searching all over creation in every break room and lounge area to fetch your ass.

8) When I scrub, I get supremely annoyed when the circulator and anesthesia person leave without asking me if I’m ready (or, hell, using their damn brains and LOOKING at the back table to see where I am) and all I’ve done is open. Uh, I can’t exactly tie up my own gown!

9) Working with a second circulator in your room when the two of you don’t exactly jive. One is working on charting, the other (usually me, because I’m the “young, fit” one) does the running around. The last time we had this set up, I had been using my Ascom phone to call the PACU when we’re ready to come over. All of a sudden in the middle of the day, when a procedure had JUST finished, even though I had been handling calling them all day, she says, “Have you called PACU yet?!” I said, “No, I call them when the patient is extubated.” And she goes, “I’ll call them” as if I’m doing something wrong. Surprise – 20 minute wake-up! Then we have to call again anyway to make sure they still have a bed available. There is a REASON I do things the way I do it. If you say you want to “focus on charting” then do so, and let me handle what I say I’m going to handle!

Okay, that’s all I got for now.

Love it all!! Well said.

Sent from my iPad (so excuse any typos and autocorrects!!) using allnurses.com

trinsia

4 Posts

I am really amazed at how OT nurse used as cleaner and ordly.

aliciaRNBSN

10 Posts

My biggest pet peeve in the OR is when a surgeon sends you running for something, you quickly get it, open it, and then it just sits there on the field. They never use it!! That drives me BONKERS!!!

I have one Anes who wants pulse ox (and other things) on pt before he is in the room. One time I didn't do it. He came out of the surgery room, looked for me in the pre-op, and had me go beck to the OR to put the pulse ox on.

One time he wanted BP. We told him to push the button on the monitor. He said he knows how to do it and he knows WE know how to do it. He wanted US to do it.

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN

1 Article; 2,543 Posts

Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.

Oh, I have a good one.

You set up your room for a complicated case that is blocked for 8 hours. You get the microscope in the room, get the special chairs, call the rep, make sure implants are ready to go, alert the 2nd surgeon (joint case) that the pt has arrived in pre-op, and open everything you need for the case. You have all of your paperwork in order, have already filled out pathology slips, blood gas slips, and ensure that the pt has 2 units PRBC waiting in the blood bank.

You go interview your pt in pre-op. Everything is copacetic, but the pt seems to be squirming too much, and won't look you in the eye when answering questions. The anesthesiologist then interviews the pt only to learn that he had a Bojangles biscuit on the way to the hospital because his wife really wanted breakfast, and her sadistic butt went through the drive through, and he just couldn't help himself. He was STARVING!

So now the case is cancelled, all of the specialty supplies go to waste, the surgeons are mad, and then you get all the butt-pus add on cases in your room for the rest of the day. *sigh

CIRQL8

295 Posts

Specializes in Only the O.R. and proud of it!.
Oh, I have a good one.

You set up your room for a complicated case that is blocked for 8 hours. You get the microscope in the room, get the special chairs, call the rep, make sure implants are ready to go, alert the 2nd surgeon (joint case) that the pt has arrived in pre-op, and open everything you need for the case. You have all of your paperwork in order, have already filled out pathology slips, blood gas slips, and ensure that the pt has 2 units PRBC waiting in the blood bank.

You go interview your pt in pre-op. Everything is copacetic, but the pt seems to be squirming too much, and won't look you in the eye when answering questions. The anesthesiologist then interviews the pt only to learn that he had a Bojangles biscuit on the way to the hospital because his wife really wanted breakfast, and her sadistic butt went through the drive through, and he just couldn't help himself. He was STARVING!

So now the case is cancelled, all of the specialty supplies go to waste, the surgeons are mad, and then you get all the butt-pus add on cases in your room for the rest of the day. *sigh

Been there. Done that. Lol.

I've heard "I didn't know that BREAKFAST was included in the NPO order."

Sent from my iPad (so excuse any typos and autocorrects!!) using allnurses.com

Goobstress

57 Posts

Specializes in Operating Room.

You pretty much summed it up for all of us :-)

Winx51

10 Posts

1) Smart mouth PA's who talk too much during the case; "please keep the chit chat to a min while the surgeon is working".

2) Lazy ST's; "Im not running for you anymore-either open the must have supplies on the back table and keep the might needs here in the room or you will not be scrubbing in this OR today-are there any questions?"

3) Rep's; not allowed in the room until the surgeon needs them-or the tech has a question about the system being used.

4) CRNA's and Anesthesiologists who bring their roll aboard suitcases; "that is not allowed in the OR". If they don' remove it then I call the Chief. Works like a charm.

5) ST's who leave extra supplies in the room; Ill put this half up and you put this half up. If they don't then I politely remind them before the day is up. If I find it their the next morning then I tell them that i need for them to put their supplies away from yesterday.

6) Late ST's. If I have 5 total joints that start at 07:15 please don't show up at 06:50 to set up. I don't need to explain that one.

7) We had a hand surgeon who was a screamer. What a little jerk. He screamed at one of my old managers in front of every one; made her cry. I said "real classy". He glared at me; I was waiting; he would have lost.

8) Surgeons who stand around the room after a total joint asking are we ready yet? Does it look like were ready? Ill page you when it is time to ID. Don't you have X-rays to look at?

9)I always tightened their headlights one or two clicks between cases. Fun.

10) Had a bossy med student one day----asked them to leave.Sat out in the hall and pouted.

11) 3 surgeons = 3 beepers. Is this an emergency? He'll call you later. ps..put em all on vibrate.

12) Tie green gowns in a knot.

13) After 16 years I had had it. I think that generation is on its way out. The new guys are better. Hospitals are finally wising up and being much more selective with their hiring process. Creating a better culture and then protecting it. For those of you who have issues with folks in the OR; state the policy. they can't argue with it. Be diplomatic and you'll almost always win.

HollywoodDiva

104 Posts

Hahaha!!! Winx that is exactly how I feel most days!!!

Deargceann

44 Posts

A. I actually had a resident tell me the other day that he needed me to page someone but he didn't know their name or department.

B. Surgeons who have their own nurse they like and there is nothing you can do to make them happy.

C. Surgeons who hold up the case doing God knows what and they walk in the room and say Time in, Time out like it's your fault.

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