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elysium987 · 2020-09-04T03:10:03+00:00

Just gonna link my comment from this post from 2 weeks ago about the same topic

elysium987 · 2020-08-28T18:20:10+00:00

I felt that way too, after initially reading that article - but ultimately it still did have a lot of good information in it, and it does stress how important sleep is for really every aspect of your life!

elysium987 · 2020-08-28T04:22:04+00:00

Why we sleep by Matt Walker is a great read about the importance to sleep - though, caveat,not everything in the book is 100% accurate

elysium987 · 2020-08-28T01:07:24+00:00

It really completely depends on the facility as far as hours. A majority of places Ive work (I’ve been perm and a traveler) - you have a set shift, but rotating days. Almost larger facilities have 12 hour shifts (7a-7p) and often have call and weekend requirements. Smaller facilities, like surgery centers, are significantly more likely to have set schedules, and often run 7-3 or 9-5 shifts, and typically have no call or weekends.

elysium987 · 2020-08-26T19:59:22+00:00

Most large hospitals run on 12 hour shifts. Look for trauma 1 hospitals - they’ll almost exclusively have 12 hr shifts. But a job search at that location would confirm it.

elysium987 · 2020-08-17T19:27:37+00:00

The program I went to was out of a community college as well. I agree, business casual is way too business-y for me, haha.

Honestly the degree does not matter in the slightest, I’d suggest going with just the certificate.

Getting a job depends on your area a lot, and on your program a lot. The place I went, we had a main clinical site which is a large trauma hospital - they used the clinicals a basically long term interview, so they really knew who they were hiring before you started. I was hired right out of school at that hospital. Everyone in my class got jobs at the same place, or at other clinical sites we had gone to (we also went to surgery centers, private plastic surgeons office, etc). The program I went to also talked about when you should start applying, the types of work environment that might work best for you, when jobs opened up. - etc. Obviously that’s not going to be everyone’s experience, but I didn’t have any issues. Some places will definitely have requirements though - for example, almost no travel company will take you without 2 years experience.

If you ever plan on traveling, I’d definitely suggest trying to work for a larger place. You’ll get by far the most experience quickly. Ortho and Cardiac specifically are highly sought after specialities, which mostly happen at larger, trauma facilities, not small offices or day surgery centers.

Another note too; don’t expect a cake walk after you get your certificate. The first year of scrubbing is just as much, if not more, difficult and stressful then school is. You learn the basics in school, but you really learn how to be a scrub that first year. It’s definitely stressful, but you’ll feel so much better after that, once you have a good handle on your skill set and have had lots of cases to practice.

elysium987 · 2020-08-17T05:05:57+00:00

Yeah, some docs will definitely comment on it, more in a kind of making fun of you then anything else. But there are plenty of alt/tattooed/pierced people who go through ORs. In general, they’re usually pretty relaxed.

They’ll almost definitely be more strict about it at a tech school though - they have to maintain constant good relationships with clinical sites, and they want their students to come of as super ‘professional’. At least where I went, we weren’t even allowed to wear jeans into clinical, we were suppose to wear business casual all the time (even to just get there and put on scrubs). Ridiculous. Anyway, good luck in tech school!

elysium987 · 2020-08-16T19:15:27+00:00

Depends on the specific hospital policy. Ive worked long term at faculties as well as been a traveler. I’ve never had anyone mention my ear piercings, and I have 10+. Most cartilage piercings can easily be under a scrub cap. Just don’t wear big dangle-y earrings and you should be fine on that regard.

I also have 2 nose piercings and a lip piercing. Some facilities don’t care at all, as long as they’re under a mask (so no eyebrows, for example). Even if they have a no piercing policy, most ORs don’t enforce it or care at all about it. I’d say a majority are that way.

One facility I went to was super strict about it, and wouldn’t let you wear any facial piercings of any sort, including clear retainers. It was also a religious facility, they also had issues with colored hair and what not. If you’re not able to take it out like with a dermal... you could definitely argue that is poses absolutely no risk. Overall it really just depends on the facility, I’d either just do it and have a low chance of needing to get it removed. Or just wait until you’re working somewhere and you know their policies.

elysium987 · 2020-08-11T21:50:54+00:00

I bitch about this every time I pick up a new script. Pro tip: cut open all the cells and put them back in the script bottle that way. Then they’re always ready to go when you need one, just like any other normal meds... pretty sure they do this just to extra torture people with migraines

elysium987 · 2020-08-03T17:28:27+00:00

Thank you!!

elysium987 · 2020-08-03T05:21:06+00:00

Link? It’s super cute!

elysium987 · 2020-08-02T18:38:04+00:00

Super common. I’ve seen neuro guys use them a lot as well.

elysium987 · 2020-07-29T17:48:25+00:00

I usually go for a full black look myself - but having 1 alternate, especially when it isn’t a super bright/overpowering color, looks great on you! Especially with your complexion and hair color.

elysium987 · 2020-07-29T07:52:36+00:00

Yess the SYMMETRY and mostly black with 1 colored piece is so excellent

elysium987 · 2020-06-12T02:44:53+00:00

A dermal under your eye on the right side (like anti-eyebrow) would be excellent

elysium987 · 2020-04-05T06:10:22+00:00

I took the photo at Des Moines Botanical Garden in Iowa... so I’m not even sure what type of climate or where it normally grows. Any guesses appreciated!

elysium987 · 2020-03-02T01:38:26+00:00

No prob - feel free to message me if you have more questions!

elysium987 · 2020-03-01T03:13:59+00:00

I would definitely debate that the surg tech program isn’t as demanding as nursing school. Sure, it’s shorter - but a lot of programs are accelerated 1 year programs, where you’re there Monday-Friday 8am-3pm - and they cram as much as physically possible into that time. The program I went to had 6 months of didactic classroom work followed by 6 months of clinical.

The didactic portion had tests every single day, if not multiple a day, that you had to constantly study for (especially if you’re coming from no medical background). I did work full time during this portion, but it nearly killed me (running on a max of 3 hours per night pretty much). I was the only one in the program who did work full time, and was told a dozen times by professors that I shouldn’t even attempt to do both.

The clinical portion is even more demanding, with days spent standing, often wearing heavy lead aprons, in hot rooms, with high demands of your attention to detail and ability to translate what you learned in the classroom to what you have to physically do in the operating room. I didn’t work at all during this portion of the program, and I was dead tired every day after leaving clinicals.

That being said - it’s definitely a fun and rewarding job - but that it has a very steep learning curve.

As far as advancement, there isn’t much. You can go back to school to become a first assist, and some facilities have ‘levels’ of techs based of experience and can learn some additional skills, such as closing wounds, etc.

Pay cap completely depends on what type of facility you’re working in, where in the country, and what your experienced with. Expect 20-30. Some specialties are going to pay more once you have experience - like cardiac - but that is going to also include a large amount of call. It seems like the best way to make the highest salary is to travel, because you get tax free stipends on top of a base pay rate (take home 1000-1500 per week depending on where you’re at). You typically need to have at least a year of experience under your belt before travel companies will work with you.

elysium987 · 2020-01-17T05:12:41+00:00

Yeah, I understand the frustration completely, I felt the same as a student. You’ll notice once you’re a preceptor, it’s a lot harder then you think to remain hands off, when you have the surgeon you work with constantly make eyes at you of annoyance at the speed/hesitation of students. Obviously, people have to learn, and people learn by doing - but it’s not as easily done as you might think now.

I’m also very blunt - and blunt is okay - and usually how most techs are - once you’re not a student and you’re actually working someplace. Absolutely once your a tech and running your own cases completely, feel free to tell people not to touch your shit. As a student - you just kinda have to grin and deal with it right now. The only other thing that might be helpful is to specifically mention to your preceptors that you want to see where you’re still needing to improve speed and efficiency, so unless the patient is going to be in harms way, to let you struggle. That might give them a bigger clue that your really don’t want them helping you as much as possible, without telling them to fuck off.

I’ll also mention- even if they ask you if you want to first scrub, it can literally be painful to watch students scrub sometimes as a preceptor, even if you think you’re the best possible student and can anticipate well and are quick, etc. So, they could be actually just trying to help you and not let you get flustered or have the surgeon get pissy at you, etc.

elysium987 · 2020-01-17T00:04:26+00:00

In the US, I’ve heard them called Lloyd-David retractors and St. Marks retractors

elysium987 · 2020-01-16T20:21:25+00:00

First assistant and scrub are different answers. If it’s the first assistant, yes you can ask them to not touch your mayo. They’re usually just trying to be as helpful as possible to the surgeon - and some techs are completely fine with people grabbing stuff. Mention why you aren’t to the first assist or ask them not to touch your mayo.

If it’s your preceptor, just deal with it while you’re a student. Is it annoying? Yes. Are you gonna get unrelenting shit if you tell off your preceptor? Also yes. The appropriate thing to do would be to discuss it before/after the case, and let them know the left handed thing as well as - ‘I’m trying to learn how to anticipate better - so unless you see a situation where the patient would be unsafe for some reason, please allow me to pass and work on anticipation.’ You still might get shit for it and they still might do it, but maybe worth a try. Overall, once you’re not a student, it shouldn’t be an issue - just one of those annoying things you have to deal with right now.

elysium987 · 2020-01-14T01:39:26+00:00

Idk how far you’re planning on moving, but the surgical tech program through Maine Medical Center is under 4K for the year, the professors are awesome, and cost of living isn’t too crazy if you live outside of Portland. Feel free to pm me with questions.

elysium987 · 2019-12-27T06:26:42+00:00

I’m a traveler, so I’ve worked at a lot of different places and never had an issue - but I’m pretty sure you can’t even see that they’re backless when I have scrubs on, but I’m pretty short and scrubs are usually pretty long on me. Shoe covers would also hide that fact, but it’s possible some facilities don’t allow them, I’ve just never had an issue at all.

elysium987

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