So you pass sponges right?
No one knows what a surgical tech does. Hell, I didn’t really understand what a surgical tech did until I was wrist deep in someone’s abdomen during clinical rotations. So you can imagine the glazed-over look in people’s eyes when I tell them I’m a surg tech. I’ve discovered that there are several levels of explanation at my disposal and my choice in explanation is determined by several factors:
Does this person appear to be more or less intelligent than a blind mole rat?
Does this person have any medical background?
Does this person actually want to know what I do or are they just being polite?
If my conversation partner doesn’t meet the lowest-level criteria (sub-mole rat intelligence), my explanation is thus: “You know how on Grey’s Anatomy when someone is dying in the OR and the surgeon is screaming at someone for scalpels and sponges? I’m the person they’re screaming at.”
Should my companion meet both A and B, I tell them: “I am the person who sets up and passes instruments during procedures, assists the surgeon when needed, keeps track of all supplies (to make sure they aren’t lost in the patient), and makes sure the operating area stays sterile.”
Let’s just say, I find the unicorn of conversationalists who is intelligent and REALLY WANTS TO KNOW what I do all day. This person is in for a soapbox speech like you wouldn’t believe.
We organize and open supplies. This is harder than it sounds. Consider for a moment, there are HUNDREDS of different instruments and MOUNTAINS of supplies which are all dependent on the surgeon’s preference. Maybe their card tells you what they want, maybe it doesn’t! You make your best guess and hope for the best. (FYI-the more consumable supplies you open, the more it costs so if you open everything on the cart, the hospital will hate you.)
We drape all surfaces (including you) that will be used during the procedure. Imagine a game of Operation. If you touch anything outside the sterile area (which is basically everything), it’s considered contaminated and you have to try again. Draping kind of sucks and I’m convinced there’s a circle in hell where evil techs are forced to drape things for all eternity.
We count, and count, then count some more…. We count sponges, blades, hypodermic needles, cautery tips, suture needles and various other items before the case and every time a layer of you is closed. In some hospitals they even count instruments, which is both time-consuming and a little
hectic in the thralls of surgery. All of this counting just to make sure some bonehead doesn’t leave things inside you.
We retract for the surgeons. This improves visibility for the surgeon and keeps your tissues/organs out of the way from sharp, pointy, or burn-y things like knives and cautery. Sometimes this requires “great feats of strength” like when you’re trying to haul back on a retractor with one hand and pass instrument with the other while maintaining some crazy level 3 yoga pose as you try valiantly to stay out of the surgeon’s way.
We suction and cauterize. This improves visibility and decreases blood loss. I don’t know about you, but I’d like to keep my blood, thank you very much. Suction is a tricky endeavor. It requires you to stay out of the surgeon’s way while performing a task that puts you directly in the surgeon’s way. That pesky blood is generally coming from wherever the doc is cutting, and you have to weasel your way in to clear it out without holding up what he’s doing. If you’re really good, you’re like a suction ninja, sneaking in and out before the doc even knows it. Sadly, I am not a suction ninja.
We do all of the above AND MORE while keeping ourselves, and everyone in our operating field sterile. Sterility is kind of a big deal and it comes with its own set of rules and regulations that would make your head spin. (If you’re really interested, this site has a little intro-to-sterility PowerPoint http://www.slideshare.net/jennisnell/sterile-technique-final)
So there you have it: the abridged version of a surgical tech’s responsibilities. Hopefully, it helps you appreciate what we do in the name of patient care and safety. We do this job to make sure everyone stays safe and that you get the best possible outcome from your surgical experience. You may not see us hiding in the back when they wheel you into the OR, but we’re there. You won’t see your surg tech any other time before or after surgery so feel free to give us a wave when you come in. We love to give you a happy little sterile wave right back!
