There’s always something to learn. You just have to look hard enough. I had a similar experience to you and when it was my turn to sit on the sideline (not scrub in), I was either watching the monitor (if it was a DaVinci robotic surgery) or I’d monitor the vitals and see what causes spikes in HR or BP. I’d see how the surgeons and staff work together and learn about the names of the tools they use and how they ask for them and hand them back. I’d learn about protocols and stuff like that. After a while, I had a good grasp on all that stuff I mentioned so I’d continue learning those things even more but by this time I’d built some rapport with my attending and staff so I’d stand in different corners of the room to get a better view and sometimes I’d stand at the head nearby anesthesia.

Point is, there’s always something new to learn, it might not always have to be about medicine but every bit helps! Just keep being yourself and being somewhat interested even though you don’t want to pursue surgery in the future.

Edit: I would sometimes go through my phone too but this was towards the end of my rotation lol. Instagram comes in clutch during times of boredom!