I Can Do Hard Things...

There seems to be some popular statements that permeate everything these days... here are some examples: 

I can do hard things.
Just do it!
You can do it if you just try!
Listen to your inner voice.

(There are many more.) What is wrong with these statements? They're positive aren't they? They're powerful and encouraging aren't they? To this I would reply yes. However, they leave out a key component.

 Let's add it and see if it changes anything...

 I can do hard things...with Christ.
 Just do it...by the grace of Christ.
 You can do it if you just try...with the strength of Christ.
 Listen to your inner voice...with the grace of Christ.

 What changed? I added Christ to the equation.

 I find that in many situations we try to do things ourselves. I don't know if it's the stubbornness in me, the natural man, or the negative that tries to convince me that I can do it all on my own. Life is so much easier when I add Christ to my life and allow Him to help me carry the load.

Does that mean it is easy peasy? No. It means I have the strength to carry on for one more day and the courage to try harder and do better.

 Philippians 4:13
 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Alma 26:12
 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

Elder Bednar had some interesting things to say about being strong through the grace and atonement of Christ when he was first called to be an apostle back in 2004:

     ""In the Bible Dictionary we learn that the word grace frequently is used in the scriptures to connote a strengthening or enabling power:
     "The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and   love of Jesus Christ."
“… It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts” (p. 697).

Thus, the enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement helps us to see and to do and to become good in ways that we could never recognize or accomplish with our limited mortal capacity. I testify and witness that the enabling power of the Savior’s Atonement is real. Without that strengthening power of the Atonement, I could not stand before you this morning.""

Here is the link if you would like to read the entire talk

I hope I will always remember that if I have the humility to involve Christ in my life, I will be given the strength I need to deal with the trials and complexities of life.

A Change of Pace

So, previously I wrote about volunteering at the library. Well, a job came open as a part time clerk, and I applied for it. Then I was offered the job! I really did enjoy volunteering at the library, and even though I am working there now, it was still a little bittersweet to give up my volunteer position. I did different things then what I do now as a clerk.

It was the perfect job opportunity though, because it is only four hours a week, and will usually only be four hours every other week. Enough to get me out of the house!

Here are the nice things about having a job at the library as a clerk.

The shifts are a maximum of four hours long.

I get a break every two hours no matter what.

It is a very positive work environment.

Majority of the people I deal with are nice and happy. I do have to deal with some flustered people, but even that isn't really bad.

This has been an interesting experience for me, because I keep comparing it to my job at the hospital and what that was like. First, I really do enjoy working in surgery. That being said, it is a very STRESSFUL job. And that's not even dealing with the surgeries.

So, from an initial standpoint, I think it will be good for me to work at the library, and so far, I have enjoyed it It's fun in a weird way. I mean, you wouldn't think it would be fun to check in and out books, but I get to work with computers, and for the most part I am kept busy. There are a lot of little things that add up to the total job, and while it is a challenge to remember ALL OF IT right now, I think I am catching on pretty quick. I am really glad that I had my volunteer work to help me though, because I was already familiar with some of the things that I needed to know for this job, so that's one less thing to learn!

Still, one of the main things I enjoy about this job is it is a boost to my self esteem, and I enjoy being around people who think I do a great job, and that I am learning quickly. It is very encouraging!

Surgery Revisited...

So, I had an interesting conversation with my friend yesterday, and I realized that I didn't explain the "drama" of my job, when I explained it last time.

She asked me if it was anything like TV, or as exciting/scary as the surgeries on TV. Well, TV definitely makes this job much more dramatic then it is in real life, for sure. It seems like on the shows almost every person in the department is having a covert affair with someone else and making out in the supply closet.

While this may happen on occasion in real life (just like any other job really), it is definitely not the norm. And, if it did happen, the whole department would find out about it, and yeah...it would be in the rumor mill for a while. That's about as exciting as it gets.

At a smaller hospital like the one I worked at...very rarely if ever did anything like that happen.

One thing I do always find somewhat amusing is when they are doing a surgery on the show and they ask for an instrument. They don't usually call it by it's actual name, they use a general term. I know why they do this, I mean the TV audience isn't going to have a clue if they hear the surgeon say, "army/navy" which is a type of retractor. So, on the show the surgeon just says "retractor" or "clamp" and I smile because if they were to say that in real surgery the tech would just look at them and say "which one?" Sure, there are certain times when you would know which one, but...yeah, the surgeon is much more likely to say "kelly" (clamp). Anyway, I think you get my point. :)

As for the "scary" surgeries, since we were at a smaller hospital, a lot of the extreme trauma patients automatically get sent to the bigger hospitals. There have been a few times when patients were brought to our O.R. to stabilize someone before transport, but the most emergent/scary surgeries were probably OB patients that were bleeding out, or a c-section that is titled a "crash and slash" because that is what happens...yeah, those are scary. Other than that though, I would say certain surgeries are more intense than others.

Now, at a larger facility where they can do some surgeries right in the E.R., I don't know that I have the stamina to be a trauma surgical tech. Some people do, and they love it, but I don't think I could.

Some surgeries are definitely sadder than others...at least for me. It is always sad to help on a surgery of a patient that is going to die. Not from surgery, but from something like cancer, and the surgery is just to help alleviate pain and see how extensive the cancer is.

D&C's are always sad procedures for me, even though they are fairly short, because it almost always involves someone who miscarried and they wanted to be pregnant very badly. It is not uncommon for these patients to cry, and I have to just not think about it or I will cry too.

Most surgeries for me are like a puzzle. You know what you want the outcome to be, and you know what you need to get there, and then you just do it.

Changes

It has definitely been interesting getting used to a baby again! I love it though. I also love how much my older kids love the baby. Hazel is always wanting to help and watch and learn how to do it all.

When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited. It felt like I was being granted my heart's desire and I couldn't wait for him to be here! He is such a sweet baby. He loves to be held ALL THE TIME. I think he far prefers it to anything else. I can't say that I blame him really, I mean, being snuggled up all day sounds like heaven to me too! :)

I wondered at brief moments what I would do about working. I knew that I really didn't want to work full-time, but just left it at that. I thought being put on part-time or prn (which is basically a when-needed position) would be great, but...it didn't really work out that way. A couple weeks ago they let me know that they could't hold my position any longer and I was let go.

This was pretty upsetting to me, but at the same time, I wasn't upset about the reason I was let go. I mean, I think I definitely got the better end of the deal. A beautiful baby boy. I wouldn't trade that for anything!

Just What I Needed

Today was a good day...even if I was trying to get the remnant of a migraine to go away all day long. ;) Yes, migraines when you are pregnant are even more evil than normal because the only thing I can take is Tylenol...which...only minimally takes the edge off. Enough so I don't feel like I am going to curl up in a ball and die, but there is still one major headache going on. IT IS TERRIBLE.

I went to church, and it was so good. I didn't get to go last week because I was on call on a weekend of surgical craziness! I felt like I lived at the hospital that weekend.

That Saturday, I went in at around 11:15 AM and got home at 1:00 AM. I lived on orange juice and cheese sticks and a dry sandwich sometime in there...

Then that Sunday I got called in at 11:00 and since I have afternoon church, I spent the whole church time at work. The patient really did have a crucial surgery that needed to be done, and we saved a life, so that was important, but I missed my spiritual recharge.

This Sunday, EVERY lesson was just amazing. I was so filled, and just felt recharged. I felt the spirit so many times today just making me feel good and testifying of the truthfulness of what was being taught.

It was definitely what I NEEDED!!

After church we were able to go and visit Shane's side of the family, and I had a good time talking and catching up.

This week I have my next doctor visit, and I will be 13 weeks along...14 on Friday. I can't say that the time is going by quickly, but I am glad that nothing crazy, where the baby is concerned, has happened lately.

Changes

Well there are definitely changes looming on the horizon, and not just because a baby is coming!

A few months ago after looking over our financial situation we decided it would be okay to try and go part-time. After talking to my manager, it was decided that maybe PRN would be even a better option. (PRN would mean only working 2-3 days per 2 weeks.)

There is another longer story to this, but I can't write about it on here. It has been a very frustrating emotional time for me, and there have been many times when I just felt like quitting and throwing in the towel.

My self-esteem has definitely been on the lower edge, and negative thoughts and feelings have been difficult to force out. That is when a loving spouse and understanding mother, have been a needed relief to my tattered ego.

So, at the beginning of May I will start PRN...or so I've been told. This will mean no more call (I will definitely NOT MISS IT AT ALL!) and a lot fewer hours, but hopefully I will be able to retain what I have learned.

The more I have thought and prayed about this decision, the more I feel like it is the right one. I feel peace when I think about it. I know it is a good thing, and will be an added bonus when we have a new baby to care for and Shane still working graveyards.

Plus, I will be home more, and I will be where my family needs me most. That gives me more peace than anything, because I feel like I have been lacking in the dependable parent department for a while now, and I know it has been stressful for the whole family.

Only one more month where I have to take a weekend call. WOOHOO!! (This weekend is my turn, and then probably one in April...)

Amazing

I was reflecting on past experiences this morning and thinking about being pregnant, and while very happy and excited, how all kinds of emotions come flooding through my mind.

It is very interesting being a surgical tech at a small hospital because we do c-sections. I think I've mentioned before that usually there are specific people at larger hospitals who do c-sections...and that's ALL they do.

It doesn't mean the care is better or worse, it just means they only do c-sections. Being a surgical tech on a c-section is unlike any other surgery I have ever done. Instead of one life, you're worried about two. Instead of worrying about whether the mom is okay and everything, you are worried about the baby coming out okay. It takes a while to get over that. I still get an adrenaline rush when I am the tech on a c-section. I always want it to go smoothly and for everything to be perfect.

There are times when they have patients deliver in the OR because they are concerned that they may have to do a c-section, and they would rather have a double setup (meaning that the regular delivery stuff is set up, and then all the c-section supplies are in the room in case they need them).

This usually happens if the mom is going to try and deliver a breech baby, or twins.

A whole different feeling is in the room when you have a double setup versus just doing a c-section.

I remember the first time I was in the room on a double setup, I will never forget the patient and their spouse. When that baby was born, they were crying tears of joy they were so happy, and I cried, because the feeling of love in that room was so strong.

Life is amazing.

Reality

Well...back to reality!
I went back to work today. I was supposed to float, but one of my co-workers ended up calling in sick so I did autoclave today...which when there is no float is autoclave + all the work a float would do. YIKES!

It went really well, and I was amazed that my body handled it so well, until about 2 PM and then it was ready to call it quits. Too bad my shift didn't end til 5! It really wasn't all that bad. Just busy.

My ankles and toes are letting me know that they feel quite abused today though. I may have to start wearing special circulation socks and see if that helps at all. I've heard it does, so we'll see! It gets more and more tempting to buy some though, especially when I get home and feel like I have to hobble around.

Pants

Well, today is the first day I have worn jeans since the surgery. I purposely picked a pair that is too large for me (literally) but it has still been mildly painful, which isn't all that surprising. It's kind of like a mild form of recovering from having a c-section and trying to get back to normal again.

Initially I was going to go back to work tomorrow, but my doctor's note says I won't be ready for full-duty until Monday. I am glad for that! I know that when I had my pre-op the doctor told me that he's had people go back to work after THREE DAYS! They must be super woman! Or have a job where they can sit at a desk, because believe me, there is NO WAY I could have gone back to my job full-duty after three days.

Today was early out, and I think it must equal, children bickering incessently at each other...because that is all they are doing. I told Shane to go back to bed, since he dutifully went and picked up the kids from school at 12:50, which meant he got about 4 and a half hours of sleep.

I think my body is finally starting to realize that it can be normal again though, because Monday and Tuesday I wasn't tired during the day. Today, however, I crashed into bed after the kids went to school, which let me know that I'm still not back to 100%.

The bruises at the incision sites look more frightening every day, which is a good thing because it means they are healing. My belly button is currently a weird greenish color (like a bruise, remember? :) and one of the side incisions is a darker purple-green.

I always kind of wondered if people got bruises at the incision sites after having assisted on many gallbladder and appendix surgeries...and I am SURE that they do. Not that we are mean or anything, the body is delicate and when you have an instrument pressing on an area, it is bound to bruise! :)

I am interested to go to my post-op appointment though, so I can FINALLY see the pictures of my surgery. All I have is Shane's account of it, which is nice and all, but I need to see them myself! ;)

Kickin

So, recovering from this surgery has been a little more difficult than I originally anticipated. Hopefully I am on the upswing though. I have raised it from the 1-2 level to the 3-5 level. ;)

Thinking about the surgery has made me wonder though, because they gave me versed in the hallway when I was on the gurney, or as they like to call it "happy juice", and remember NOTHING about the operating room or anything, and it makes me wonder if that's what it's like for most people.

When I'm working in the operating room it always seems like the patient is fairly with it. I mean, their eyes are open, they move to the operating bed like you tell them to, and they "appear" awake. They respond to questions you ask them. Sometimes they even ask me questions.

Now it makes me wonder if they are all loopy on versed! I will have to ask one of the anesthesiologists that I work with. I know that they don't usually give c-section patients versed because they like to have them remember their baby being born.

Anyway, it does make me wonder!

On Call

So, I am on call again this weekend. It came closer than it was going to be originally because one of my coworkers gracioulsy agreed to switch the weekends with me.

I can't tell you why...yet. And no, it's nothing outrageously wonderful or anything. Just something.

I find it interesting that SOME people have a weird perception of what it means to be on call. Especially if you are on call for a SMALL hospital. When I am on call, it is for the call surgical crew, and that consists of three people. THREE. Me, the nurse, and the CRNA or Anesthesiologist. THAT's IT.

If someone needs surgery...any type of surgery that we cover. I am it. This can mean that I could be called in to the hospital at 6:30 AM and not leave til midnight or later. It's happened. It's life.

I thought people understood this. I thought they understood that I can't be more than 20 minutes away from the hospital because of this, and the closer you are, the better because we also cover the c-sections, and you never know when a emergency c-section is going to happen. (I'm not talking the, yeah, we should do a c-section as soon as possible, I'm talking the, crap this baby needs to be out NOW! c-sections. The c-sections that happen in less than 5 minutes. The c-sections that techs, nurses, and basically anyone on the planet DREAD.)

Apparently not though. Apparently some people think I use being on call as an excuse. An excuse at times to get people to watch my kids, because, hey, FREE night for me right? NOT!

Being on call is STRESSFUL. I am never at ease. I go to bed at night knowing that I may get a call at 3 AM telling me there is a crash c-section and I need to get my butt to the hospital ASAP. I live that way, ALL WEEKEND LONG. It is not relaxing. It is not enjoyable. It is NOT something I look forward to.

I thought people could understand and appreciate that, but apparently I was wrong. Admittedly, not ALL people, but some. Seriously, I have a really hard time understanding the "some." I don't know if I ever will.

Plain Jane

So, today one of my co-workers informed me I was a "plain Jane." They weren't doing this to be rude. At least, I didn't take it that way. They used it to try and convince me that I should get my hair dyed/highlighted.

I have never had my hair dyed or highlighted, and I can't say that I've ever had the desire. (Still don't.)

It was kind of funny though...my co-worker replied with "You don't want to be a plain Jane your whole life do ya?"

Why yes my dear, I do. Plain Jane and proud of it. :)

On top of which, there are two very BIG reasons I have for not getting my hair dyed.

1. I like my hair the way it is. I like the color it is. Why change a good thing?

2. My husband feels the same way. :)

Nuff said.

The 4th

I was just thinking back over my weekend, and compared it to last year. This year was definitely better!

Last year...I was sick. So sick I was in bed and basically had been for a while. They thought I had the swine flu, or at least possibly had. They couldn't test for it, because I wasn't sick enough to be hospitalized.

This year...I was on call for work. This meant that I had to be within 20 minutes of the hospital.

Both years...meant that I couldn't go to any family things. Last year they were camping and I didn't want to get anyone sick, and quite frankly all I wanted to do was sleep. This year, the party was still too far away even though it was at my in-laws.

Shane bought some fireworks and set them off for me since I couldn't go to the BIG firework show. It was nice and I appreciated it. :)

I would much rather be on call than sick though. Last summer was not that great of a summer. This summer will be busy with mainly work, but we have a few fun things planned, and I am definitely looking forward to them!!

So...

It's that time again...the time where I sit here and really want to write something, and yet, nothing comes to mind. Do you want to read about all my surgical ventures? Probably not so much, and it gets tricky when I can't talk about anything specifically because of all the hippaa stuff.

I feel like these days my time consists of...get up, go to work, come home, make dinner, read a bedtime story, put kids to bed, and then repeat. It's made even more repetative and lonely when I never get to see Shane. Well, it feels like never. At least I get to kiss him goodbye in the morning and see him on the weekend and I can barely handle that. Meaning that I miss my hubby!!!

We keep hoping he will be put on the graveyard shift at least sometime soon, since day shift is next to impossible to get on. Plus, it really wouldn't help in the childcare dept especially for summer. Still, I am glad that we both have jobs and we are at least trying to get on top of our finances. It is encouraging to know that we have at least made some progress.

Hmm a story from my past maybe? Well, maybe a lesson learned. It's kind of interesting how we learn certain things. For example, I learned very early on in my teenage years that I could not handle being in a marriage with someone who played the same instrument as me. Isn't that funny? I remember, every time I liked a guy who played the instrument I did or he liked me, it just didn't go well.

I look at my marriage to Shane and I am so grateful for it. We get along so well. We don't have the disagreements that seem to plague most marriages. We like a lot of the same things, but we have our own interests too. Shane likes guns, me, not so much. He likes to snowmobile, ski, and other things. Me, not so much. I guess it's important to have opposite interests and similar interests. We think a lot alike, and while our personalities are different, we have a lot of similarities too. I guess the most wonderful thing about being married to Shane is that I enjoy being married to him, and it doesn't feel like work to do it. It can't get better than that!

New

So, today I had the interesting expeience of being a tech on a total joint replacement surgery. I could tell you which one, but then I'd have to do something to you because of all the HIPPAA rules and regulations. ;)

Anyway, when I trained to be a tech we just wore disposable boots (we're talking knee-highs here...) and...the rest was pretty much the same as any other procedure.

Well, things have changed quite a bit since then, they have some cool hoods that you can wear. This helps reduce the risk of infection. I had never worn one before, so today was a first.

Here is an idea of what they look like:



We wear green gowns that are made of water resistant cloth. The blue gowns are made of a water resistant paper. I like green gowns a LOT better. Any day. Out of all our surgeons I think we have one who prefers the paper gowns.

Anyway, on the little white frame that goes on your head there is an air control and when they put on the actual hood a fan blows air into your hood. It's kinda cool really. Of course I felt like one of the CDC workers on Monsters Inc that come and disinfect the area of all kid cooties. And it is a bit interesting trying to get used to hearing everyone else and talking loud enough that they can hear you.

Still, it was a pretty cool day!

Eyes

So tired. I don't really know why really. I mean, it's not like I did anything abnormal today. Yes I did get called in to do a surgery at 6 AM but we didn't start until 7 AM and that is normal. I mean, there are days when we have a 7 AM start. So, that shouldn't have done anything.

I was the "float" today, so I wasn't even in one room standing in one spot retracting all day either. I was busy, but not super busy, just, "I have things to do" busy. So, I can't figure it out, but I came home and promptly wanted to go to bed. No idea why.

I think I'm like everyone in that I wish we had more money. Then we could fix some things in our house that really bug me on occasion...like today. They seem to bug me more when I am tired. Most of the time I just let it go and don't let it bother me.

It is so nice to have the sun shining longer in the evening. I am so glad it is more like spring! I hope the weather stays springlike so I can enjoy my favorite season a little longer. :) (That's me trying to be positive...and looking at the bright side.)

That which doesn't kill you...only makes you stronger...

Right?
So, my job is still going well. I enjoy the people I work with...for the most part (I mean, come on, we are all human, and I wouldn't be honest if I said we got along fabulously 24/7).

This last week and a half I was reminded of why I have always admired those who become doctors.

Once again I am around doctors and surgeons all the time, and I am reminded of how hard they work, how they are on call ALL THE TIME, and how many sacrifices they must make to be doctors.

I was thinking of this last week as my brain wanted to whine and complain that I was on call ALL WEEKEND and MONDAY too! Wah wah! Friday I went to work at 6:30 AM and got home at 3 AM, and then Sunday I worked for 5 hours in the evening, and last night I got home at 12:30 AM.

I was thinking of the general surgeons at my hospital that each take a 7 day call shift. 7 days on 7 days off. That doesn't include the emergency patients that are their regular patients so they could end up doing an emergent surgery anyway even if they aren't on call.

It was kind of interesting though. The longer I was on call, and having to come in, the more my brain and body got used to it...although the 20 hour day pretty much killed me, I don't know if I could do that all the time. I was REALLY glad I had all of Saturday to recuperate, but today when I had to come in after getting 5 hours of sleep...I was all right (and not fuzzy headed I wish I wasn't here all right...) I was alert and in a good mood! Interesting...

Low Census

Today I was on "Low Census" which means, no work! Well, technically I did still go into work for a little while because we had a work meeting and then an inservice where we learned more specifically about running certain pieces of equipment that we use in the OR (Operating Room).

So, while at the hospital today, the power went out. I mean...the power.went.out. Don't get me wrong, I grew up in a small country town, and the power would go out all the time...but where we live now? Not often, and when it does it's usually just a small power bump.

Today it was off for about an hour, which is unusual for us.

It was weird and eery to be in the hospital and have emergency lights on and to hear the generators kicking on. Of course the operating area has the most power because who wants to be having surgery and have the power go out...d'oh!

So, in that regard, today was an excellent day to have a power failure because we had ZERO surgeries scheduled and only a few outpatient procedures scheduled.

It was nice to spend some time with my husband and kids during the daylight hours. :) It was so cute when we went to pick up Hazel after Kindergarten. She was SO excited that I was home!

That is definitely one bonus that will happen when I start working four-tens. I will have a day off during the week. I think my whole family will enjoy that.

Bwahh haa haa....

I don't know why I put that in the title...it sounded good at the moment. I have been SO busy! Yikes! We finally put up our Christmas stuff a week and a half ago. Time just kind of flies by now. One big blur.

That and I am SO exhausted. I hope my body adjusts to this new time schedule soon. I guess that's just one more sign of getting a little older...of course, I remember being tired when I was in college and had to get up early (I mean EARLY) and went to bed early and I was pretty tired then, but now...I go to bed early, and get up early, and I'm exhausted.

Right now, I can barely keep my eyes open. I just want to crawl into bed. Mmm...it just sounds so nice. I have laundry to do though...

I'm not complaining. I am glad that we have an additional source of income and it is something that I enjoy doing.

What I do...

So, after reading a comment from my friend, I realized that a lot of people don't really know what a surgical tech does. So, I decided I would try to explain it...in a short version. The long version takes a textbook or two. :)

A surgical tech is a part of the surgical team and helps set up the operating room before a patient is ever brought in. Once the operating room has been cleaned, the case instruments and supplies are brought into the room and opened. There is a specific way you can do this and have all the items stay "sterile." It's called aseptic technique, and once these supplies have been open, a sterile field has been created.

Once the supplies are opened, the scrub (which is another term for a surgical tech, I guess you could say it's the slang word for surgical tech) goes out and scrubs in. This means that they disinfect their hands and arms up to the elbow, go back into the room and put on a gown and sterile gloves. Once this is accomplished, the scrub is considered a part of the sterile field.

The scrub then starts to set up and arrange all the sterile surgical supplies that will be needed for the case. This picture is an example of that, except the scrub in this picture is purposely facing the camera. In a normal OR the scrub is facing the wall, because the back table (where all the supplies are) is by the back of the OR.



Here is a picture of a back table being used during surgery...(which is called a back table because it starts out in the "back" of the room...hehehe...seriously though, that's why it's called a back table...)


When the surgeon has scrubbed and comes in the room, the scrub gowns and gloves the surgeon, and then starts to assist the surgeon. The surgical site is draped off, the back table is moved to be more accessible, and an experienced scrub should know exactly what the surgeon needs and when they need it, and passes the supplies and instruments to the surgeon.

Depending on the case, there might be two surgeons, two scrubs, etc... but at the bare minimum there will be a scrub, and the surgeon that are scrubbed in. There are other members of the surgical team that aren't scrubbed in. A nurse (called a circulator) and anesthesia. Keep in mind this is just a basic description.

Here is a picture of a surgical team scrubbed in. There are two surgeons (they are on opposite sides of the patient, and furthest away from the camera) and two scrubs. (one of them may be a first assistant. A first assistant is someone who is a surgical tech who has specialized their training and usually has a job with one or two surgeons, and that's ALL they do, is work for those surgeons. If there is a first assistant they are the one that usually asks for things from the scrub. Anyway...confused yet? :)



When the case is over the scrub cleans up all the instruments and supplies, undrapes the patient, assists the nurse with moving the patient, and then starts to clean up and disinfect the OR in preparation for the next surgery, if there is one. And then it starts all over again... :)

So, in a nutshell that is what I do, and for the most part it is a job that I really enjoy doing.