Surgical Technologists:
We Put Our Patients First
By: Student, Brenda Weiss
Let me ask you a question, what would you do if you saw your child being bullied? Or what about your sister being abused by her husband? Could you walk away without doing anything to help and think that was the right thing to do? If you answered no, then you too, would probably have a surgical conscience. So, what does it mean to have a surgical conscience? A surgical conscience is like a normal conscience except in a surgical setting.
Once you are taught right from wrong, be it in your daily life or policies and procedures at work, there is that voice inside you that lets you know when something is wrong. It’s more than just knowing something is wrong though, you must speak up and correct the situation before something worse can happen. Surgical technologists have completed the Surgical Technology program and have been certified through the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting. Our motto is Aeger Primo, which is Latin for Patient First. It is our job as a surgical technologist to put you, the patient, first. Your family and friends look out for you and want things to go smoothly during your procedure so that you can heal quickly and feel better. Consider us your extended family or friend in the operating room because we speak up for you when you can’t. Your surgical technologist is there to set up the operating room, assist your surgeon during procedures, we make sure that the doctor has everything that he/she may need, that the instruments being used are sterile or disinfected, we keep count of all sponges and instruments, and we monitor who is around the sterile field to prevent contamination so there are less chances of getting a surgical site infection. The sterile field is an area that contains sterile drapes, instruments and supplies. A minimum of 12 inches is required around the sterile field by anyone who has not scrubbed and gowned. If there is even a slight chance that someone has touched or gotten too close to the sterile field who shouldn’t have, or if we happen to find a contaminated item in the field, or if the sterile protocol has been broken, the whole area must be considered contaminated and cannot be used. It is better to be safe than sorry. Sometimes this can cause a delay in a procedure, but we are there to protect you, the patient, and would rather cause a delay than to cause an infection.
I am sure you would agree that a short delay to correct the situation is much better than extra days in the hospital trying to fight an infection. In conclusion, no one wants to be in the hospital or to have surgery, it’s a scary thing. Just know that there is someone in the operating room looking out for you when your friends and family can’t. We do this job because we care. Aeger Primo!
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