BrianLee

Hrrmmm,,, did you just say that the cake is what the Surg Tech contributes to the equation? That you are the icing on the cake? With that logic is seems that the Scrub is building the house and the Circ is decorating it... Hrmm,,, just kidding by the way.

Also remember... some hospitals have Scrub Techs as circulators and circulators overseeing three rooms.

I understand where you are coming from,, but if you look up the definition of a nurse, you will find that more people are nurses than you may have previously figured. However, a Registered Nurse is quite a different thing. Nurse 1. somebody caring for patients: somebody trained to look after sick or injured people, especially somebody who works in a hospital or clinic, administering the care and treatment that a doctor prescribes

I find that many people in the OR in general are bossy, even the secretaries, equipment techs and Nurses Aides can be... it seems you have to have a strong personality to survive in the OR. In regards to your other comment. Any good scrub tech is also thinking about just as much as any good nurse. You might have to be dealing with 6 different people, this is true,,,, but the Scrub is dealing with the Surgeon,,, who in my opinion taks much greater presidence over any stressfull conversation that may be had between you and a floor nurse. Not to mention the Surgeon in general is way mor demanding. Oh,, and if we are going by numbers.... the Scrub is paying attention to the Surgeon, Assistant, Circulator, Anesthesia, Perfusionist and well,,, the patient... seems like those numbers are pretty even to me. God,, I wish we could just appreciate and respect each other.

The same could be said about being a Circulator that doesnt have a CST that is up to snuff. BTW, every scrub tech and nurse in the OR has worked with someone that was lazy and not up to snuff.

I would love it if the Nurses in the USA had this opportunity!

I love scrubbing too! I find it is a great break from the paperwork and politics of nursing. I def do not agree with the scrub tech you work with. I would never and never have referred to the RN's role as "easy",,,, unless I was obviously joking. I have always felt and stated that RNs in the OR schould be versatile as circs and scrubs. How are you suppose to be the "Patient Advocate" if you have very little idea of what is actually going on at the field? Please do not let one or a few CST's badmouthing speak for the majority of us. I will try to do the same in respect to nurses that bad mouth my techs.

I agree. Knowing both roles does lead to being a better OR Nurse. Thats why I advocate nurses taking a formal Srug Tech class and hopefully the Scrubs will do on to be nurses some day too. That would be great. I do admitt that there are some cases that can be very routine and slow,,, but the same can be said for circulating those cases. But to elaborate on what you just said about many of the cases being so routine that they could be done with eyes closed.... I am curious, with your high opinion of an all nursing staff and low opinion of scrubs, dosent it seem to be a waist of Nursing staff to scrub cases then if it is soo mind numbing? Again, I do not like the inference that scrubbing most cases are mind numbing and boring. I happen to think that scrubbing is one of the more exciting things that I get to do with my job.

The situation that you speak of is very very similair to the OR that I work in. At my OR however, the RNs that are proficient scrubs are assigned to both roles with regularity. It is unfortunate that the Nruses that want to learn do not have the opportunity at the hospital where you work because of staffing constraints. However, they do have an opinion if they are truly that interested in learning how to scrub and in turn increase their likelihood that they will get to scrub....... they can go to Surgical Technology school and formally learn how to do the job that they are interested in filling. You would have to do the same if you were interested being a Nurse. I had to do the same to get my CFA.

FYI, After three months of being a Registered Nurse with 13 years of Surgical Tech background, not only was I given a position but I was also offered and then accepted a positon as General, Vascular and Thoracic Surgical Charge Nurse. We are both entitled to our opinions. And I too will not change mine. Surgical Techs are a integral team member in the Operating room and deserve to be treated with respect as the professionals that they are. At my hospital we hire CST's because they are trained specifically for their job role..... not because we are desperate. As a nurse with scrub skills I have plenty of opportunity to scrub cases. The Nurses that I work with are welcome to scrub as well, so long as they have the proper training and they can competently cover he scrubbed role. I appreciate and commend you on your great ferver. However, in the USA most of the OR's have developed a great deal of respect for the CST's whom we work with. Your opinion of them as a fill in during desperate times is insulting to someone like me.

I was taught to save the hair for several reasons. For funeral and hair piece purposes, religious and personal preferences, sentimental reasons. I am aware that there are several religions which put spiritual significance on the burial or burning of hair that has been shaved. I have even heard of patients requesting other products of surgical intervention, like the torn and destryed clothes they were wearing during a trauma, removed orthopedic implants, gallstones, organs, ect. But to my knowledge they need to go through a bunch of red tape with the Pathology department for requests like that.

Thank you for your response. You have proven my points with every sentence that you typed. While there is no question that the RN is the ST's superior in sense of the definition which concerns rank and station..... it is not always the case that they are superior in the sense of the definition which concerns grade and quality. And Vice Versa, every team member, ST, RN, ect can take something from this point. Now you on the other hand embody another form of the definition, which describes a person whom feels he is better than or above someone simply as a result of rank. Look up the definion and see which one suits you best. There is a remarkable resemblance to a few obtuse Surgeons I have worked with in the past. I have often offered to my peers the idea that " A lion dose not have to roar for everyone to know he is the King of the Jungle". If one is superior in quality and merit, one does not have to "act out" or "demonstrate" his/her superiority. That quality is obvious upon inspection of his work ethic. It must be very frustrating to be in a position of a Superior when one does not present adequate knowledge, communication and leadership skills to capture the respect of the team without resorting to tactics like " Becuase I said so!" Regarding your comments on the present and future roles of Surgical Technologists...... below, I have quoted a report from the Fl State Senate which details the role of surgical personel. I have also included a link for your benefit should you choose to educate yourself on the facts instead of letting your emotions demonstrate your ignorance. You stated that ST's would never, blah blah blah, ect ect... If I were you, I would ,,,well,,, never say never. I personally, see the benefits of the flexibility that it would provide considering the Nursing shortages we have been enduring, but have a GREAT appreciation for the essential importance of a RN presence and hope that we are able to maintain that level and build upon that which we are functioning at now. http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2006/House/bills/analysis/pdf/h0483a.HCR.pdf "State Regulations State governments regulate all occupations and professions, and it is within the power of state governments to ensure patient safety through the regulation of occupations. 15 According to a report by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN): 20 states require RNs to circulate, 37 states require RNs to supervise in the OR but do not specifically mention the role of circulating nurse, 8 states explicitly follow Health Care Financing Administration’s conditions of participation for surgical services, and 7 states have no specific staffing requirements. Currently, Florida is one of seven states that have no nurse staffing requirements for hospital operating rooms (ORs). The other states are Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio, Washington, and West Virginia. Of the 20 states that require an RN to circulate, California, Idaho, Maine, and Nevada require adequate staffing so that each RN does not circulate for more than one operating room. Hawaii, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming mandate that licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and surgical technologists cannot function as the circulating nurse in the operating room. In Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wisconsin, LPNs and surgical technologists may function as assistants under the direct supervision of a qualified RN. 16 The eight states (i.e., Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Montana, North Dakota, New York, and Texas) that explicitly follow Health Care Financing Administration rule governing surgical services also mandate that LPNs and surgical technologists may assist in circulatory duties under the direct supervision of a qualified RN, who is immediately available to respond to emergencies." For the record, I have not once said anything negative about Nurses as a whole, I simply have my reservations about those like yourself, whom are drunk with POWER! Anyways, thats my 300099487790434 cents worth! - be the change!

shodobe, i respect that you have a right to your opinion. although, i couldn't disagree more concerning your assessment of the value of the surgical technologist. oh, and if you are interested in learning about the differences in roles between a certified surgical technician and a certified first assistant i encourage you to visit the national board of surgical technology and surgical assisting (nbstsa) @ "lcc-st.org". if your idea of first assisting is solely based on whether or not someone has the ability and capability to sew in a drain, then i am lead to believe that your practice as a first assistant was very limited and lacking formal training. sewing in a drain is not even the beginning of it. a good first assistant will benefit the surgical team and the patient in countless ways. what i was implying when mentioning the "double doors" in the operating room was that some of the nurses in this blog have egos, that in my humble opinion, have swollen to a point that which only the use of a pair of double doors would permit access.

Maybe you should talk to Scrubby. She has the idea that this sort of thing dosnt happen in Australia.

Im sorry to hear that as a result of the Nursing shortage you have not had the opportunity to scrub. I know how rewarding scrubbing is and I hate to see someone deprived of the opportunity. ((HUGS))