Gowning others--best place to put hands?

Fun2, BSN, RN · Mar 1, 2009

When I am in the scrub nurse role, I try to wrap my hands in the gown's corner a little to protect my sterile gloves from touching the surgeon's scrubs or skin, etc.

You should not go past the surgeon's shoulder with the gown. The circulator should pull the gown up, instead of the scrub reaching over the shoulders in an 'unsterile area'.

maeyken · Mar 1, 2009

I sort of wrap the corners of the top of the gown back around my gloved hands to "protect" them... (sort of rotating them outwards as I hold up the gown).

I kind of shake it out/let it fall to open it up all the way, then do the hand wrap as I hold it out to the gownee.

You'll get the hang of it. Soon you won't think about it either! :)

ayla2004, ASN, RN · Mar 1, 2009

as a uk nurse from my student days every person gowned and gloved themselves inculding the doctors what is the reason for other people gowning the doctor.

oh we used the closed technique to do this first down then gloves and someone else would do up the back

ShariDCST · Mar 2, 2009

as a total rn/or rookie, i'm getting a little better (thank god) but i'm still fumbling when it comes to putting gowns on physicians. it seems no matter where i put my hands it's either too close to touching the doc or not a good grip where i fumble the gown. we use the cardinal health disposable gowns that are folded so that i open them like a book to gown someone else. in order to open them, my hands start out on the light blue inside part, but somehow need to switch to the outside part so i don't touch the doc or else start out with my hands on the outside part. suggestions?
(my preceptor has been a surg tech for 40 years so she can't really help me because she doesn't really think about how she does it--she just does it.)

first - it sounds like your preceptor needs to slow down, and show you how it's done properly. if she can do it not really thinking about it, then she needs to scrub in with you, if she's not already, and slowly show you how it's done, explaining each step. i've precepted students plenty of times, and they always get the picture because i break it down for them in all the steps, including the "why's and wherefores" of everything we do.

look at it like this. pick up the gown like the book you said it resembles by the "spine". open it like a book and turn the pages towards you, and grab what is now the outside of the gown - the part that will face you when he's/she's wearing it. shake it down carefully, holding it at the neck towards the shoulder area. cuff your hands with the gown by letting the shoulders fold back over your hands, hold the gown out with the sleeves hanging down facing you. the surgeon should be facing the inside of the gown. hold it firmly while the surgeon puts his hands through the sleeves, push the gown up as much as you can to and over the front of his shoulders keeping your hands in the front shoulder/neck area, and let it go. the circulator, or whomever is the person designated to tie gowns at that point, should be able to grab the inside of the gown from there and pull it back over his shoulders and tie it up. don't worry about touching the inside of the gown except for when you first pick it up. you should be handling the outside of the gown primarily. it's not nearly as complicated as all that sounds - but that's when you break it down step-by-step, it looks like a lot.

if you don't have access to it, you might ask if they can order the dvd/cd rom disc from the association of surgical technology covering basic sterile technique, as a tool for teaching new staff aseptic technique. it's very good and covers all the aspects of learning to scrub, including gowning and gloving others. it's available to order on their website - or it was the last time i looked. i don't know the price. it would be an institutional purchase price anyway, and i never look at that! lol

good luck - and happy scrubbing! :up: