Name: The Surgical Team | Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, First Assist, Scrub Nurse, & More
Uploaded: 2020-07-30T09:23:19.000Z
Duration: 10 min 33 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Maybe you've been watching Grey's Anatomy, House, or my favorite, Scrubs.

Relative clauses (Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive)

Yet surgery isn't just about the surgeon, but an entire healthcare team that ensures

the patient is cared for when they're under the knife.

Let's dive in on the different parts of the surgical team.

Surgery is a fast moving, complex, multi-faceted aspect of medicine that is deeply dependent

Without proper respect and communication between all team members, surgery comes to a grinding

halt, and the risk of errors and complications shoots up.

The surgeon is who we most commonly think of when we think of surgery.

This is the attending physician who is responsible for the patient, as they are the one who made

the decision to operate on the patient in the first place, and they are the ones in

Before even getting to the operating room, however, there's usually significant workup,

including labs and tests, that must be performed prior to deciding to operate on a patient.

This is obviously not the case with emergency surgeries such as traumas, but the majority

This generally includes a clinic visit with the patient, where the surgeon approaches

their concern, performs the appropriate workup, and presents the various options of how to

When the patient first comes to the hospital or surgical center and is waiting in pre-op,

the surgeon speaks with the patient, obtains informed consent, meaning they again explain

the procedure and it's possible risks, and answer any questions the patient may have.

They've also done this during the clinic visit, but doing it again on the day of surgery

Given that the surgeon bears the weight of the greatest responsibility in the operating

room, they are subject to the highest degrees of stress.

This is often when you see the stereotypical surgeon personality rear its ugly head.

This stereotype is generally “decisive, well organized, practical, hard working, but

also cantankerous, dominant, arrogant, hostile, egocentric, and a poor communicator.”

But stereotypes aren't entirely true, and most surgeons I know don't fit the mold

I would say, however, that most surgeons I know are more direct, efficient, and pragmatic

than most, and perhaps not afraid to be rough around the edges in order to get the job done.

Some studies have concluded the surgical personality certainly does exist, but rather highlight

their novelty seeking, competitive nature, and reward dependent qualities, in addition

to scoring higher in self-discipline and achievement but lower in compliance and vulnerability.

At teaching hospitals, the surgeon enters the operating room once the patient is under

They may have their residents drape, but many surgeons are highly particular and prefer

The surgeon performs the surgery and must remain by the patient's side until he or

she is extubated, meaning the breathing tube is removed and they are wheeled out to post-op.

The surgeon operates in a sterile field to minimize the risk of surgical infections.

On the other side of the drape is the anesthesiologist.

Think of anesthesiologists as the guardian angel for the patient as they approach a scary

The anesthesiologist is the other attending physician in the room, and can generally be

But don't tell any anesthesiologists that.

The surgeon is the captain of the ship, but the anesthesiologist is right by their side.

That doesn't mean their job isn't equally foundational.

Just like the surgeon, the anesthesiologist will visit the patient in pre-op, but rather

than the procedure, they'll be focusing on explaining how they'll keep the patient

This often includes general anesthesia, where the patient goes under, meaning is unconscious,

However, anesthesiologists can also provide sedation, where the patient is deeply sedated

and often doesn't remember the procedure, but they're able to breathe on their own.

Local or regional anesthetic doesn't interfere with the patient's consciousness, but rather

numbs the area that the surgeon will be working on.

Prior to the case beginning, the anesthesiologist provides the appropriate anesthetic to the

This may include providing certain pre-op medications via IV and intubating the patient

if they'll be receiving general anesthesia.

During the case, they monitor the cardiopulmonary status of the patient, ensuring they're

This is done through cardiac leads on the patient's skin to monitor heart activity,

a pulse oximeter on the finger to monitor oxygen saturation of the blood, and a blood

After the surgery, they'll reverse the analgesics and once the patient is stable, wheel them

to post-op and hand them off to the nurse in the post-anesthesia care unit, or PACU.

The surgical first assist is the person helping the surgeon perform the case, also scrubbed

This is most commonly a resident, physician assistant (PA), nurse practitioner (NP), certified

surgical assistant (CSA), or medical student.

It's their responsibility to assist the surgeon in performing the procedure, which

includes a lot of retracting, suctioning, and performing other supportive measures for

Being a good first assist requires knowledge of anatomy and physiology, surgical handling

of tissues, understanding surgical instrumentation and its use, and the nature of the procedure.

The first assist should also be skilled in suturing, positioning, sterile technique,

prepping and draping, and the use of splints and casts.

Things generally go smoother when they're also highly perceptive and have an intuition

The scrub nurse is also scrubbed in the surgical field, and is the one preparing, organizing,

and providing the various surgical tools and instruments to the surgeon and first assist

While that may sound simple, it's extremely fast paced, demanding, and requires a similar

understanding, perception, and familiarity as a first assist to keep things moving smoothly.

A guaranteed way to annoy a surgeon and increase tension in the room is to keep them waiting

longer than needed for the necessary instrument.

Prior to the case beginning, the scrub nurse gathers the necessary supplies, including

the sets of surgical instruments needed for that particular type of procedure.

They'll be the first one to scrub in and set up a sterile surgical field for others

to join, helping the surgeon and assistants with their sterile gown and gloves.

The scrub nurse is critical to things moving smoothly, and is one of the primary drivers

in anticipating the needs of the surgical team.

The circulator is the point person in helping assist the surgical team outside of the sterile