Developing sterile consciousness

I'm not an OR nurse, so this suggestion might be a little odd. But have you considered signing up for a class teaches you to focus on somatic (body) movement, like dance or a sport of some sort? It sounds like you are aware of the theory behind sterile technique...so perhaps you just need to develop better proprioception, which is the sense of knowing where your body parts are. This sense is why some people have better hand eye coordination and can catch things or hit a tennis ball more frequently with a racket. It's a bit of an odd suggestion, but better body awareness can definitely be developed with conscientious practice.

Thank you. I didn't think of it that way. I exercise & grew up doing dance but have never been good at sports. I have good feet coordination but not hand-eye coordination. I do not like sports so I will certainly have to think of something I can do. Perhaps some kind of kickboxing or self-defense/martial arts type work. I love staying active.

You're still pretty new, and I went through these same issues too my first weeks in the OR. Stop comparing yourself to people who have done this for 10 years or more, you're still a novice (was the best advice I keep getting from all my mentor CNORs). You will open things onto a field that will fall on the floor, everyone does from time to time. It's a thing that requires repetition and muscle memory to get better at. For me, I noticed I made more mistakes in the beginning because I was so hyper aware. It's like overcorrecting when you're a new driver because you're too worried about staying in your lane. After awhile you learn that if you keep your gaze down the road, you automatically stay in the lane. It just takes a little time.

How many hours in the OR have you done at this point? Just take a deep breath and remember, there is nothing you do can do that can't be fixed - other than not speaking up. Having surgical conscience means you speak up, no matter what, when you know you or someone else has contaminated - there's no judgement, that's how it works. Enjoy your new career.

Thank you. This week was better. 9 weeks at 4 days per week, 8 hours per day. So I am at 288 hours roughly. We are in class on Mondays and in OR Tues-Fri.