What's the easiest job in the operating room?

I guess you have all the answers. The difference between us is that you think being a first assist is easy. I know its not. Of course I also understand that other jobs in the OR are difficult also. It may be that the only first assists that you work with are big blue retractor holders. Or maybe they just make it look easy. Bottom line a bad first assist can double the case time just like a bad circulator can. A good one can halve it just like a good circulator can.

The other point that you brushed aside is emergencies. In an emergency all of the other positions have help available. If things get really bad we will have a couple of other nurses helping the circulator. The anesthesiologist will have an another anesthesiologist or may an AA or perfusionist helping. But in the field there is no other help. We might scrub in another attending but there is only so much room for people to work so usually its just the two of you doing whatever you need to be done.

From one standpoint assisting is one of the easier things that I do. Most days I would rather be in the OR taking care of one patient than trying to take care of 10-20. Thats me though other opinions may vary.

David Carpenter, PA-C

Unless you've done all of the other jobs in the OR, I don't think you can have an unbiased opinion of which is "easiest." You only know what you see, but I'm sure there is more going on behind the scenes while you are concentrating on what you have to do. Personally, I believe each position has "easy" moments and "difficult" moments, no matter who you are. Situations change.

well, might me a little exaggeration. But that is just in one of the surgeon's rooms. Each orthopod generally runs two rooms, sometimes 3. 45 minutes skin to skin, you know the deal.

Would anyone mind giving a brief description of these jobs and the education behind them for me. I am a nursing student and dont know the dynamics of the OR. I would post elsewhere - but you guys all seem pretty knowledgeable so I hope the OP doesnt mind if a couple of you describe what each of these positions actually does, etc.

THANKS!

I missed this when you posted. I think that my answer would be no. The issues would be much the same as when I was a tech. I enjoyed the OR. I was lucky to have a good bunch of surgeons, techs and RNs to work with. However the job was the same as when I was a paramedic. All you see is the snapshot in time of the patient. For the most part you have no idea how the patient did after the surgery or what they were like before the surgery. Part of what makes the job interesting is the intellectual curiosity of what happens to the patient.

In my current job I see them before surgery, during surgery and follow them afterward. Originally where I am now I assisted a fair amount. Now we have fellows and the service is busy so the surgeons get nervous we aren't on floor. In one way its good that we are appreciated but I miss assisting. Now we mostly assist when we have two cases at the same time or the fellow is out of town.

When I was in the Army we had techs that circulated and there were some that preferred that over scrubbing and some that preferred scrubbing over circulating. The skillset is different for circulating and scrubbing so whether its easier or not is going to depend on your skills and personality type.

David Carpenter, PA-C

There's nothing easy in the OR. I just have to laugh at how defensive people get when the think they have to defend their position.

I have been the scrub, the first assistant, and the circulator in the OR. All I can say is they are all HARD if you do the job RIGHT. One is not harder than the other, they just focus on different priorities. They all have one priority in common: to provide the best care possible for each patient.

I've worked with enough physicians that I don't have to ask them. Ask them if they could do the scrub tech's job. No, I don't think all jobs are equal in difficulty. I just don't think there's any easy job in the OR, especially if they are done right.

Everyone has their expertise, but not one job could be done without the other.