Cardiac Team - Pros / Cons

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Anybody with Cardiac Scrub Experience? I was recently offered a role on our high-risk cardiac team as a scrub. Our CT team is very 'defined' and does not have practitioners (especially nurses) moving between scrubbing and circulating.

I've done 3 years as a perioperative nurse (right out of school) and love it - my split of time has been approximately 60% Scrub / 40% Circulating. I did very much enjoy CT. Our high-risk cardiac team specifically does adult re-do's, all DHCA cases, patients with aortic pathology (e.g., marfan's), open thoracoabdominal repairs (elective and dissections), etc.

I think I'm ready for this move and excited to be hand-picked for such a high-stakes team, but still nervous by the thought of being in such a high-stress environment exclusively. However, I continue to remind myself that this is what I always had been training for...

Any thoughts would be welcomed!

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Hello -

Wow - what a coincidence! i am a scrub nurse that is dedicated to our high-risk open-heart team. I think it takes a very unique type of person to do the job. I absolutely love every minute of it. i love the fight and I love knowing that my work matters - that is one thing that many of my friends (non-medical people) can't really say with conviction.

This may sound weird, but I think being a strong christian really helped drive me to make a decision when I was offered a spot. The Chief Attending was the one who made the offer and is a devout Christian. He asked me if I wanted to pray about it and I said that it was a big decision for me and I thought prayer would help. Together, we prayed in the family lounge for almost 20 minutes and I felt the Lord guide my decision.

It's not easy - that's for sure. Watching patients who you see come in expire on the table as you fight is an awful feeling. But, the feeling of knowing that you were there definitely brings me solace. Whenever I work with the Chief, we always have a small prayer group in the staff lounge and read from the Bible. That has been a vital piece of my happiness and fulfillment.

A few key things:

1) You have to have thick skin

2) if you don't know your stuff, it will become obvious VERY fast

3) Get a pair of loupes!

4) Always ask if you can do more

5) Leave your personal baggage at the door - once you're in the room - it's ALL about the patient

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