Help! It’s My First Day On Surgical Placement - What Do I Do?
Hello, my name is Marianne! I am a final year medical student at Imperial College London. I am super excited to be entering my last year of study. I am interested in medical education, surgery and women’s health. I have an Instagram page (@mariannedoesmedicine) where I share my day to day at medical school and tips for students in all years.
I wanted to share my tips on how to survive your first day in surgery - as I know a lot of students are nervous as they start their surgical placements. Surgery can be a scary placement but there are many things you can do to get through it and hopefully learn lots and be able to enjoy it too!
1. Arrive early
I know surgeries already start early (8am) so do I have to come even earlier? I would really recommend it especially on the first day as you don’t know where you’re going, need to find the changing room, get changed into scrubs and find the right theatre etc. If you arrive early you can also go see the patients that are getting surgery that day, you can learn more about them, their symptoms and the surgery they are getting.
2. Introduce yourself when you arrive
I would recommend introducing yourself to one of the nurses, one lead nurse if possible as they oversee things. They’re usually very nice! Tell them which team you are looking for and they can help you find the team (it may be tricky to find the surgeons if you don’t know your way around!) Always introduce yourself to new people when you enter the room: the nurses, healthcare assistants (HCAs), operating department practitioners (ODPs), anaesthetic doctors and surgeons. It is also good for you to meet everyone and learn more about their roles.
3. Get someone to show you around
Maybe the nurse or one of the doctors can give you a quick mini tour so you know where the important places are. It will be helpful to know how everything works, like the anaesthetics room, the scrubbing up room, the patient waiting room, the recovery room... It also really helps if you know the basics, like where the toilets are, the break room and the changing rooms. They will also tell you the important rules of the theatre such as not entering the anaesthetics room if a patient is in there, entering through the left or right door in each theatre, etc. They understand this is a learning experience for you, but please be respectful of the sterile environment and be mindful of all of the rules you are asked to follow.
4. During surgery
There are a couple of very important rules during surgery especially for your first day. Very importantly be careful with sterility: never touch the sterile things, be careful of keeping your distance, be careful with cables or machines around you. I think it may be good to ask the surgeon directly where they would like you to stand, so you can see but not be in their way and not risk breaking the sterile field. Also, it is very important to tell someone if you feel unwell and step out. They understand and it is absolutely ok if you need to! It happens to everyone! Have a seat or lie down if you feel faint, have some water and sugar and take your time before you go back!
5. Get to know the surgeon
Some surgeons will jump straight into teaching and will explain what they are doing, while others may not talk as much. It is ok to approach them and ask if they can tell you about the procedure before they get started. If the surgeon says you can ask questions go for it! If not, then it is best just observe and not ask while they’re in the middle of operating as some surgeons prefer to focus and talk at the end.
It is really good to show you are interested, but be aware that this is also a working operating list and they may have specific time constraints or other clinical commitments that may limit their teaching time. If you have talked to the patient use this to show them you are curious and willing to put in the effort. If after trying the surgeons still do not engage with you, it’s ok! Don’t take it personally! You can try approaching them another time or another day, and if not there may be other surgeons who you can approach as well.
That’s it for my tips! Tell me in comments if you’re starting surgical placements soon! Everyone else tell me what your first day in theatre was like!