Working for one surgeon

[TracyB,RN, RN]

Just wondering if any of my fellow OR nurses have been "assigned" to work with one doctor.

In addition to working a regular schedule, do you get time throughout the day to work on things like updating preference cards, checking stock, ordering specialty supplies, etc or is this kind of thing expected to be done while you are working in an ongoing case? Which really doesn't make sense to me, as it would take your attention away from the pt that is currently having surgery.

How do your facilities handle this? Our ortho team leader is out indefinitely & I've been indirectly told, several times, that it's up to me to step up to the plate & get things handled. It doesn't help matters much that I just got assigned to ortho a few weeks ago & am still fine-tuning my groove with ortho. I have also rarely scrubbed ortho, so that kinda makes this whole situation more difficult. I don't mind the extra work, just trying to figure out when I'm supposed to get it done. Then, having the one doc that I will be primarily assigned to, with all his special extra stuff.... UGHGHGH

[Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN]

I typically get Monday as my "office day" once a week, and scrub Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays ortho. I scrub with a GYN surgeon on Fridays who requests me.

The facility should give you a couple of hours to do this. To expect you to do it during the case isn't fair to you or the pt., for the reason you stated about attention. Tell your supervisor that you need time specifically to do this and why.

I have an index cards that has my "do at the end of the day" stuff on it. I check the specialty supplies, and special order supplies before i clock out.

Surely there's someone there who scrubs ortho a lot. Ask if they would help you. Also, ask someone who circulates a lot of ortho for help.

As for preference sheets, people who are aasigned to a surgeon make the changes as needed, and put those in my inbox. I then go through and update it on the computer so that the next time they print out, the corrections are on it (i try to do this in free time, but they are definitely done on Mondays).

Where i work, preference sheets can be updated on the room computers, but i've only seen someone do this during long cases.

[ewattsjt]

in response to the assigned to one doctor question; we are. while our department boasts that we have no specialties; we are assigned to the same surgeon. i am assigned to spine and ob/gyn. there are few who are assigned at random.

we update preference cards during the case as changes are made.

supplies, stock etc... are done during the slack time at the end of the day. if there is not "slack time" to do these things, we have to request time to perform these duties. our facility is small, so we only check once per week unless we have used a lot of the extra supplies.

the advantage of being assigned to only a couple of docs is that once you are familiar with their routine, you can do their cases in your sleep.

[CIRQL8]

The team concept is pretty new to us (a little over a year now).. Seems to work well (for the most part) and the surgeons like it. Each surgeon is assigned the same circulator/scrub team (for their block times only). If they work at a time that is now their block, and their team is otherwise assigned, they get whomever is available. The block team is resposible for fine tuning the surgeon's preference cards. The block team writes notes on the cards (as needed) and turns it into the team leader. Team leader has the responsibility to enter the changes into the computer system.

Do the team leaders get ample office time? Not always. We work on our charge duties as time allows. But, it still is working pretty well for the most part. Not perfect yet, but we are supposed to be assigned office hours in the future. About 4-8 hours every week or two.

Not everyone is blocked every day. Many are, though.