Scrubbing up

The first time I scrubbed can be noted as 18 November 2014 at 9.30am. It came as a complete shock (the scrub nurse simply asked if I wanted to be involved) but I’m so glad I ‘got it over and done with’.

The successful part was I didn’t de-sterilise myself (my biggest fear) or get in the way, even if I was so tense with fear I ended up with cramp in my shoulder. It’s strange how aware you become of an itchy ear when you can’t touch it; I’m sure I have never even felt my ears attached to my head before. The second time I scrubbed, I even passed ONE instrument and performed all the counts for a tray of instruments.

It is a real sign of how supportive the team I work with really are. I was petrified of scrubbing for the first time and would never have volunteered for it so quickly, but now I won’t shy away. Although I was under supervision the whole time I didn’t feel like someone was breathing down my neck which cut my nerves in half. The surgeon was excellent at pointing out bodily structures (three or four times) in a sea of pale pink, and the circulating team were fantastic at sorting out the mess in my head when I couldn’t remember which dissecting forceps was which.

I can’t wait for the next opportunity.