Learning Points : Surgery

1. when scrubbing, put your hand away from your body and your head away from your upper limbs

2. in time interval between finish of scrubbing and gowning. always put both hands together, and you upper limbs away from body in x- and z- axis and both the hands must be at chest level. No higer or lower than that if you don't wish to be looked down on

3. after you tie your gown, put both hands together on your belly. This is the only time I think having a protruded belly is an advantage

4. as a student most of your job during operation (heart surgery at least) are suction and holding the heart/instrument. Let start with the latter. Be forewarned that this holding business is something that lasts more than 5 minutes and the point is to not get anything in the way. Unfortunately, the chance of  having the instrument slipping from your grip is quite high, so you must have the skill of shrinking oneself and professionally switch the source of grip.

5. Suction. I learnt almost the hard way about suction. Basically in heart surgery you'll have 2 suction tubes. Unlike the metal ones, the plastic one will be available from the start until the end. Use the METAL one if it's available. USE the metal one until it stops sucking or until they say they have administered protamine sulphate into the system. Use it even though they squirt saline into the operation field.

6. when your hands are free sometime or all the time, put it on the patient. or use them to guard the instrument. never ever put them higher than the upper border of your breast base.

and if you are not scrubbed in, the most suitable place is on the anesthesiologist side. Never ever protrude your head or hands beyond the sterile drape. You can clip it with your hand and bring it down a little but your body part has to be before the drape.