OR Pet peeves

Pretty much everything you listed applies to my pet peeves. The not being relieved one really got to me. This happened to me early this week-we have a mandatory overtime law in my state, and if I were to mandate someone, I'd get in trouble. The charge on 11-7 didn't want to call the call people in to relieve me because she is overly concerned when people get mad with her, so she comes in and tell me she has no relief for me. I then told her that I would count this as a mandation.(there's a form we fill out and give to the union-the hospital has to pay $300 per mandation) Long story short, I got relieved but then she made me out to be the bad guy. She didn't tell my boss that she didn't want to call the call people(of course). When I explained my side, it got cleared up. This leads to one of my pet peeves. Namely, that different rules seem to apply to different shifts, which is bullcrap, IMO.

I've found a way around the fetching one suture at a time-when they ask for one, I open two. Obviously, I eyeball the incision myself first. I was a tech before, so I'm usually a pretty good judge of amounts.

I hate when techs kiss the surgeons fanny because he/she may be a tool and they want to make themselves look good, even if the surgeon is way out of line.

People that are so concerned with following policy that their judgement and common sense flies out the window. Obviously, some things you can't play around with(sterility, counts) but some people make up really stupid rules. For example, we can't wear lanyards in our OR, because it causes "belly gazing" HUH??! Great, so let me pin my badge at chest level so people are gazing at my boobs instead. When I wore a lanyard, I would just tuck it into my pocket while opening sterile supplies. Everyone did this so it's not a sterilty issue. Some paper pushing bozo just got a hair across their butt about lanyards for some stupid reason.

Med students and residents who don't introduce themselves or write their name on the board. They then proceed to scrub and look shocked and annoyed when you don't magically produce their gloves from the field.

Free people who think their one and only job is to provide breaks and lunch. How about giving a hand turning over rooms, making rounds to see what we need, throwing scopes in the steris, pulling extras for our cases instead of sitting on your butt at the desk? And these same underachievers are the free people almost all of the time

Patients who make it all the way to the holding area without consents, power of attorneys, ucgs/hcgs, etc...

I could think of so many more....

One more:

Surgeons who are completely annoyed by the concept of a time out. Get. over. it. It has to be done, why fight it? And secondary to that, the nurses who let them get away with it by stating the patient's name, procedure, and site/side for them.

Actually I don't consider these pet peeves just everyday occurences that we mostly have to live with. It is so funny no matter what part of the country you work in the same crazy stuff happens all the time. The ability to ignore or just have selective hearing keeps everything thing in compliance.

You and Whitchy RN and I must be triplettes. Thanks you 2 have made my night. I now know it's not just me.

My biggest pet peeve is surgeons who after a case sit down and watch as the nursing staff clean up the mess. Most of them don't even offer to help out, I wish they'd just go and have a coffee and leave us be. Then they proceed to criticise us for taking too long between cases (our average turnaround time is 10 minutes which isn't too bad). But what really makes my blood boil is when they start pestering us 'is someone bringing the patient in?' when there is still blood all over the floor .

Pet peeves: call these personal

Opening a case for me and not asking what should and should not be opened.

People who don't take responsability for their mistakes (Especially while I'm getting the blame).

The 3pm shift workers. This is the nurse/tech who slows case turnover, or increases case time being illprepared with the knowledge that no matter what they're relieved at 3pm (and I'm usually either relieving them, or getting their add on case because I've busted arse in my room)

Nervous whistling or humming talking. This is especially pertainent while I'm working with one of the primadonas and the Surgoen gives me the eye because the Scrub or Nurse (whatever the case) can't be quiet.

Here's a good one and I dont' know if I'd call it a pet peeve but:
Walking out of your room towards the core and totally forgetting what you went for. The only way to remedy this temporary amnesia is to enter the room like an idiot and leave having immediately remembered what you forgot.

This is super personal, though not really a pet peeve more of a preference: Playing the radio during cases. I'm a musician at night and weekends and music is super distracting to me. I find some genres really affect me more than others.

I didn't write much about Surgeons or Anesthesiologist. Mostly because I'd consider those subjects generally more serious than pet peeves.

I agree with Shadobe, I'm not sure they're Pet Peeves, but what you all have posted, are things that get me going!
I find it funny how, large OR or small, California to N.Y. we all have similar problems.

Here's a few of mine:

Surgeons who feel that "paperwork", you know H&P's and consents,,,,are not their job!!
Not all but a few feel that it's the patient's "medical guy" that should do the H&P, and giving the permit to the nurse to have the patient sign, is good enough.
I've seen pts come down with no note at all on the chart from the surgeon, on why this pt is having surgery!!!!!
One time, I had it out with a surgeon, who disagreed with the rules.....holding my tongue (some), I told him, if he didn't like the rules, get out of bed earlier on Monday's and go to Medical Executive meetings, and change it!!!!! Until then....here's a pen!!!

And I hate...."oh, by the way". Things not posted, that everyone else in the world seemed to know about, except the crew that's doing the case!!!
And while we're at it,,docs, can we find some sort of trade off on OR time vs Office time?
I know your office is important, but booking cases after hours, just so you can finish office gets old real fast, especially if we have to sit around for you for a couple hours! And don't think we don't know what you're doing.....I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night!!!


Anesthesiologists,,,,love 'em, love what they have taught me over the years....sometimes I think the only one person on the OR team that sees the entire picture. That said, like another post, sometimes, like surgeons, I think these guys forget the concepts of time and space. You just don't turn over from a total knee to an arthroscopy in 5 minutes!!!!! I'll do the best I can, but come on!!!!!

Scub Techs. Again, love 'em,,,,,my best friend in the OR. I like them to know I have their back, and they mine. I understand the one suture at a time thing. At our hospital, we try hard to control costs, and not open things unless we absolutely have to, so I understand. That said however, a skin stapler!!!! Come on, I'm not sure some docs know how to do skin sutures anymore!! Open the stapler,,,ok??

Emergency Room
Gang,,,,I know you all are getting slammed! Been there....done that.
However, if you are working up a possible Appy and it's coming on end of shift. Could someone find 60 seconds, call the OR, and tell us to check before we leave!!??
I find it really troubling when as I pull into my driveway, my wife is waving me off like some errant fighter plane trying to make an aircraft carrier landing!!!
This to go right back to the OR for an appy that's been in ER for the past 3 hours.

Sorry,,,,got a little carried away there.

Mike