Hello!
I’m currently a registered nurse trained to scrub neurosurgery cases at the hospital I work at. I’m having a hard time figuring out the tools and steps they’re used in once the procedure gets to the actual instrumentation phase. I have a very hollow understanding of the instruments and would really like to hear from more experienced techs on what exactly these instruments are used for.
From my limited knowledge; I’ll try and detail what I do know when we start. And it ‘d be awesome if I could get some feedback on if I’m correct, somewhat correct or plain wrong.

Make a starting point, usually by a Midas drill to create a pilot hole. I’ve seen some surgeons use an awl to get to the right depth they prefer into the pedicle or a X mm Tap which creates the threads for the screw to go in. Usually a ball tipped probe to feel the edges to make sure they’re full surrounded by bone. Now the actual screw via a screw driver. A head turner situates the tulip heads in a position they prefer. A rod template is used to measure the length of the rod, cut via a rod cutter, then bent via a rod bender. They place the rod inside of the tulip head of the screw and then attach set screws via set screw drivers to lock the rod in place with the screw. In situ benders can be used to shape the rod while fixated in the screws to create lordosis, kyphosis etc to fit the curve of the spine.

Now some of the instruments I just don’t really know the what and the whys for are: gear shifts, compressors, distractors, and drill guides

Most of the vendors that work with us are Medtronic, K2M, ATEC, sometimes seaspine and Globus for robots.

I’m not sure why I sometimes see an awl used and sometimes I don’t. Same with the ball tip probe.

Thanks for any advice and tips!

Hey everyone! Unfortunately I have been in a really tough situation and was unable to pay my CE credit fees and renewal until the last minute. I signed on to complete and submit the morning before expiration and i was locked out of my account, it took 3 days to hear back from support to get me back into my account by which point of course i could not finish my CE within my deadline.

I dont want to get personal but i literally have no money for this exam fee and with my situation about to turn for the worst, i wont have it for another month at least. This was in january and now i am seeing posts in this group of people saying if it is past 6 months, i will have to redo clinical. Is this true? I have already emailed AST support but am still waiting to hear back. If so, do you know if is the full 6 months of clinical? I should have just sucked up my pride and asked my parents for the money!

Lastly, are there other exams through a different agency or accreditation i can do that are cheaper? Am i able to share this documentation with AST & NBSTSA to submit renewal?

Thanks in advance

First of all I know neuro is considered very difficult. I have done a lot of research and know it’s hard work for even a seasoned scrub tech if they haven’t done neuro cases much less a new scrub tech, but I’m extremely interested in it.

For me it isn’t about even a pay bump or anything like that. I genuinely find the brain so fascinating, and I love it. I know I’ll have to scrub for all kinds of cases during my clinicals and have a certain number of each.

For a little extra info I’m an ADHD girly and if you know us, we can hyperfocus on things. I’ve watched multiple surgery videos to prepare for the reality of what I’ll see in the OR. I “can stand” a lot of general etc, there’s nothing that I have to actually look away from, but neuro is one of the only surgeries I find myself excited watching the steps, and just so excited and fascinated by every aspect of it. I think that the reality when you have ADHD etc too is if you’re “bored” on repetitive cases or not interested that’s not ideal and I want to do something I’m going to be super hyper focused on and never let my mind drift because that will be better for the patient outcome EVEN if it’s technically harder work for me. Even if the surgeons are more demanding and it’s more complex. It’ll keep me active and engaged because when things slow down or are predictable is when I personally struggle more.

I’m going to try to ace everything in my A&P (it’s accelerated so we are going really quickly) in regard to neuro, and even go above and beyond learning what’s required and watching neurosurgery on my own when I get a chance. But I’m guessing other than that my best bet is telling my preceptor etc.? Is there anything else I can do to try to make sure some of my cases are from neuro? I don’t know about CST requirements but as far as TS-C (it was the only thing within driving distance of me and I really wanted to scrub specifically) I know other than the required general cases, 75-95 cases must be from a list and neuro is on there. So I definitely want to try to get a chunk of my cases there where I can.

Thanks if any of you took the time to read this!! ❤️❤️

Hello!

My wife is a nurse and our good friend is a scrub. They’re both travelers but our friend is looking for a staff job somewhere in the metro and lives in Marietta. She has been traveling for 7 years and has experienced the lack of appreciation and support scrubs receive in a lot of ORs.

However she actually cried when she left her last assignment. The management was kind, and the staff actually felt like a team. She was there for 9months and they literally threw her a going away party and raised money to help with her drive home.

Had she been able to stay there she would have, but now that she’s back, she’s hoping to find a similar environment with decent pay somewhere in the city.

Do any of you Atl people really love where you work, and feel genuinely appreciated?

If so please drop a comment, or dm me if that makes you more comfortable. If you’re also willing to include the average rate for scrubs at your facility that would help a ton. If they’re hiring, even better!

She’s an outstanding scrub and can do just about everything short of vascular.

Thanks in advance!

hi everyone!

this is my first time posting here because idk what to do anymore.

I'm on my last term of the ST program, but the clinical rotation is draining the life out of me. I get anxiety, and each day I go to clinicals, the more I realize that this isn't for me. I've been on my clinicals for almost 4 months now. I've changed and gotten more efficient, but it seems like my progress is slow, and I can feel my preceptors getting disappointed in me, hence the grades they give me during evaluation. I do my best, I treat everyone nicely, but it's just so tough in the OR. I get humiliated because they expect me to know what I'm doing already. But I'm thinking: isn't that the reason I'm still a student? I can be very quiet, most especially when focusing, but they see that as not communicating effectively. I'm also not into confrontation and don't really know how to fight back when they're mean to me. I know it's my fault for not knowing how, but it's just not my personality.

I want to drop out now, but I only have 4 months left. I've also invested so much time, money, and effort, so I want to at least make it worth it. But it's really draining me, and I'm not happy doing this. :(( Is anyone here experiencing the same? I'm exhausted from being in a place where learning feels like a punishment.

Hello!

My wife is a nurse and our good friend is a scrub. They’re both travelers but our friend is looking for a staff job somewhere in the metro and lives in Marietta. She has been traveling for 7 years and has experienced the lack of appreciation and support scrubs receive in a lot of ORs.

However she actually cried when she left her last assignment. The management was kind, and the staff actually felt like a team. She was there for 9months and they literally threw her a going away party and raised money to help with her drive home.

Had she been able to stay there she would have, but now that she’s back, she’s hoping to find a similar environment with decent pay somewhere in the city.

Do any of you Atl people really love where you work, and feel genuinely appreciated?

If so please drop a comment, or dm me if that makes you more comfortable. If you’re also willing to include the average rate for scrubs at your facility that would help a ton. If they’re hiring, even better!

She’s an outstanding scrub and can do just about everything short of vascular.

Thanks in advance!

Hey guys, I’m on week 3 of clinical, I’m doing okay in clinical, everyone is super nice, I’m not overwhelmed but I just feel kinda eh about it. Is this normal? I thought when I got into the clinical setting everything would fall into place and I’d love it, but it’s just not the case for me. The stuff I’ve seen is really cool, I’m appreciative of everything my preceptors and even the doctors have shown me so I thought I’d be super pumped but I’m just, not? Does it get better over time or did everyone fall in love with the profession right away?

Curious how many of you double glove and whether it’s actually a requirement, especially in ortho.

I work in ophthalmology, where nobody double gloves. Even though it’s not required where I work, I’ve been giving it a try lately. We use SensiCare gloves, but I just can’t seem to get comfortable with double gloving. I’ve also heard it’s required in ortho, but I’m not sure how true that is.

Personally, I hate double gloving. I’m a size 7, and wearing two 7s makes my hands and arms feel so tight that I feel like I’m losing circulation. If I wear a 7 and a 7.5, the fingertips feel loose and I lose dexterity and grip, which is obviously important when scrubbing.

Do you guys double glove regularly? Is it mandatory at your facility, or is it personal preference? Also, any tips for making it more comfortable?

Edit: Some people here gave me the advice to wear the bigger size first and the smaller size on top. I gave it a try, and it was a total game changer! I’m gonna start double gloving going forward even if it’s just eyes!

Long story short , I lost a 4-0 Nurolon suture to the point they needed to call X-ray. I completely owned up to it, and everyone reassured me that it was fine because several witnesses saw that it completely left the incision sight. Although I didn’t get kicked out of the room, I still admitted it to the charge nurse when it was time for me to leave and she said don’t beat yourself up, is happens.
I can’t help but feel like complete shit for committing such a stupid mistake and jeopardizing the patients safety. I also told my coordinator and she also said not to think the worst until HER investigation is over. Has anyone heard of someone getting kicked out of clinicals for this?

I’ve been working in Pharmaceuticals for over a decade. I just turned 30 and I’m starting a Surgical Technology in December. I currently work in a hospital and I love it but I want to elevate and do more. I’ve heard the pay is great and the hours could be a lot better than what I’m currently working. Does anyone have any advice? regardless I’m taking the program anyway 😂

I’m about to graduate as a CST in December and I was wondering what your guys’s opinion on hospitals to work at is. I heard HCA isn’t good but the hospital I’m at for clinicals right now is an HCA hospital and overall there are good and friendly people. But, what are your thoughts?

1. Worked as a bedside CNA for 3 months on Medical floor

2. Currently a CNA for inpatient surgery (turnover rooms, prepare equipment/beds)

3. I'm getting to see the different roles that operating rooms have and I was set on nursing school but now am possibly interested in scrub tech school. I still need to complete A&P 1, A&P 2, Microbiology, Statistics, and/or Organic Chem before I'm ready to start any program.

If anyone has been in my situation or has any thoughts, opinions, advice, experience, stories, etc. please share them with me so I can get a better idea for which route I should pick. I currently work full time and am neurodivergent so I'm a bit nervous about working and studying at the same time because my burnouts can be pretty bad. I just started this full time job 1 month ago and can't change the hours so I'm kind of stuck working full time for a while.

Has anyone had any experience wondering the same? Have you noticed a big difference about how you feel about the job depending on where you work? My schedule is mon-friday 8 hours with random calls over night and random 24 hour call on a Saturday or sunday which surgeons take full advantage of and it ends up being a 12 hour day. They are almost always asking us to stay late and get upset if we call out after a 6 day 50ish hour work week.

I've been a machinist for over twenty years. I'm 44 years old and contemplating a career change and doing a surgical tech program at my local college. I'm not necessarily asking for folks to tell me if I should make the change, but rather if there is anything I haven't considered. Obviously, I want to make an informed decision.

I enjoy being a machinist but for a hundred reasons that I won't bore you with, it's time for my next career. I envision this being the career I will eventually retire from. Why I think a surgical tech might be a good fit for me. I enjoy working with my hands and on my feet. My current job is labor intensive but still requires me to use my brain a good deal. I get over 10,000 steps day and stand/walk on concrete all day, 10 hour shifts. I start to hate desk work if it gets to be the majority of the day. I'm pretty sure I'll be okay with the physical aspect of the job even as I get older.

I thrive being in dynamic environments where there are a lot of moving parts and things can change quickly. I did a short stint in search and rescue and when put in situations where I had to act and make critical decisions I felt like that was when I was being my true self. I was once at a Five Guys when a guy started choking on his hamburger. Everybody else froze and didn't know what to do but I jumped in there started doing the Heimlich and got it out on the second pull. Afterwards he shook my hand and thanked me for saving his life.... I'll never forget that feeling. I want the opportunity to be part of a team that helps people in a significant way.

Everyone I know personally that works in a larger medical facility talks about workplace politics and incompetent management, especially at our local hospital. I feel like that is fairly universal and I work for a shit show that is beyond comical. I tell people that if I wrote a book about how fucked up my workplace is that people would think it's too over-the-top and not believable. So I think i would be okay with that aspect of it is the case.

I would initially be taking a pretty significant pay cut, about $6-8 per hour as far as I can tell. To get an idea there's a current job opening in my area advertising $30-44 depending on experience. If I could be at $38 an hour in like 5 years I would be happy. I'm topped out now and will never make more than I currently do unless I move which i don't want to. Someone who's wife is a nurse cautioned me that these type of jobs cater to travelers and a permenant local resident might have a hard time actually getting these open positions. Can anyone speak to this?

Not sure what schedule I would be on, especially at first but I don't have kids so even if I'm on nights, weekends, roating 12s, etc.... it wouldn't be such a hard pill to swallow as it might be for other folks. The biggest thing for me is that i at least have two consecutive days off a week so that the wife and I can go camping and small out of town trips. She makes her own schedule and can match mine. It's not typical to have two non consecutive days off is it? I also have no idea what would be typical for being on call.

Concerns I have is that it seems like a surgical tech might be a bit of a subordinate role. I don't know if I'm wrong in that assessment. I do fine taking orders from someone else but I like to contribute when it comes to coming up with ways to make improvements or find solutions. If it's a "just shut up and do what we tell you to" type job that would be a bummer, but not a deal breaker. I also like to lead and teach, which is something I get to do at my current job, but I'm not sure I'll have a lot of opportunity with that as a tech. I also have a lot of autonomy at my current job and I do enjoy that.

I'm not squeamish. I think I'll be totally fine with all the blood and visceral parts about being a tech. I learned that when I was called to a vehicle extrication and saw a guy not wearing his seat belt folded up like a pretzel pinned under the trucks dash. I was pretty much on standby for that call but was ready to jump in if asked.

My biggest reason for wanting to change careers is that I'm in an extremely toxic environment and I'm starting to consider my health more as I get older. Every day I'm inhaling paint fumes, bondo dust, welding smoke, and coolant aerosols. I'm bathed every day in oils, caustic substances, and bacteria ridden tramp oils. We're talking nasty, cancer causing stuff. It's 90 degrees in the summer and 50 degrees in the winter. It's loud, low lit, and filthy. I understand there's definitely biohazards I will be exposed to as a tech but I'll take that over what my current job looks like sometime. I sometimes get sprayed in the face by accident with coolant as I'm machining. This is the same coolant that has dead animals in it(birds and snakes that have fallen in and can't get out) as well as people spitting their chew tobacco in it. I'll take the relatively clean environment of an operating room any day over that mess, even if it does include piss and shit from time to time.

My other concern is my age.... not in my inability to do the job because of my age, but my inability to break into the field because of my age. I'd like to think that my almost 30 years of work experience would give me an advantage over a young person fresh out school but maybe to those in charge of hiring is 6 seen as a yellow flag. I don't want to invest 18 months and a lot of money into schooling to only have to turn around and go back to machining again. Had anyone else started this venture later in life and had success?

That's all that I can think of for now. Did I miss anything? Thanks for reading and I appreciate any input

I’m in clinicals, and as the title states, I forgot to wear a lead apron when I got back from lunch due to me scrubbing out before even having to wear it and got sent out the room. I talked to my instructor and she said that she will be talking to him tomorrow to get his side. Anybody ever heard of someone getting kicked out of clinicals for not wearing lead ?

If you were in a majority ortho surgery center, do you think older scrub techs, in their 50s, should be allowed to just do the lighter cases or should the assignments be evenly spread out.

We have a few older techs that won’t do totals and if they do, they will automatically take the assisting and will not first scrub.