The OT posting has come to an end, sad to say.

After the entire week, I think I’ve found my ‘passion’ in nursing! Hahah. What a way to put it, but I THINK I WANNA BE A SCRUB NURSE!

I was kinda puzzled cos quite a few of the mates didn’t like it in the OT. But I enjoyed my posting there.

The temperature suits my liking, but can be freezing cold tho. Heh.

Anyhow, I saw a number of cool surgeries!

Includes split skin grafts (SSG) – where a thin layer of the pt’s skin is being ’shaved’ to be used to cover a gapping wound, hemiglossectomy & radical neck dissection – where it involves the removal of half of pt’s tongue. For the latter, it reminded me of Face Off, cos the pt’s skin from the neck area to chin was being flapped open luh and total parathyroidectomy – where all 4 of the parathyroid were removed. Etc etc.

(It’s so weird to hold on to a tongue that’s detached from a person!)

Oh, I managed to scrub in for two cases! (:

First was a minor op, perianal abscess. But cos the surgeon was sitting so near to my trolley, I didn’t really pass him any instruments, he helped himself to them. /:

The second surgery was a Plastics one, wound debridement of upper arm with SSG from thigh.

SSG is so cool, I tell you. (a little gross also luh)

The skin graft was taken from the thigh (may vary) of the pt using a blade, which functions like a shaver, except the product is a thin layer of the skin, not hair. Then this layer is being meshed to create holes on it so the skin can have ‘ventilation’ and also to expand it slightly. So after meshing it, it’s being placed on the wound and then sutured/stapled.

Having said these, it’s not easy to be a scrub nurse. Some really awesome scrub nurses I saw, they could anticipate which instrument the surgeon needs next and all that different types of surgeries and sets of equipments with confusing different names. They have to be really quick and efficient.

A&E posting next week! Zomg. Heard someone did a resus. Phwoahness.

CODE BLUE!