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Externship First you step one foot in, and feel the water. You get used to the tempature, then you go a little farther out.....chest level, then go into the deep water, and you start to swim............. or you sink to the bottom! |
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Before You Go Externship is where you perform the skills of a Surgical Tech in the real world, under real pressure, with real patients, and next to real surgeons. I'll give you the externship rundown from my experience and point of view. After mock surgery, you will be assigned to a hospital. You have no choice in the matter of where you go, but staff will try to work with you. I think the most important thing before you go to the hospital, is to have your attitude in check before you walk in the door. Be prepared to start all over from scratch. The real OR is very different from school. Develop a thick skin, learn to take constructive criticism, and ask a lot of questions. Do not.....I repeat do not go in the OR acting as if you know everything, you will be quickly humbled! Never say " I Know" when being taught or shown something. If your mindset is to go in the OR with a mission to learn as much as possible with a humble attitude, you will be fine. Good Luck! |
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The First 2 weeks Most of the school's externship sites require you to observe for the first 2 weeks. I think this is a very good policy because it allows you to get used to hospital culture, pulling cases, and learning where everything is. You can watch how the techs glove, gown and drape, and you help circulate during the case. This is the time that you will see the techs do a lot of things that's considered not correct as far as what's printed in books or taught at school, but This is the real world so don't open your mouth to correct any tech on his or her aseptic technique........they will kick you out the room, and you won't be invited back! If you know they did something wrong, you don't do it when you scrub! At the end of the 2 weeks, most of the nerves will be gone. You know you still have to get that first scrub out of the way, now let's go to week 3. |
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Week 3 and on My first scrub in, I was nervous, not as much as I was before though. I felt so in the way and awkward. I went blank at times on some basic things that I knew, so I didn't do much on that first case, but I was glad to get it out of the way without contaminating. It's very important to be assertive and confident (not cocky) in your cases, it makes the nurses, surgeons, and your tech more comfortable having you work with them. The more cases I did, the more confident and comfortable I felt. It took about a month until I would do certain cases alone and set up the back table. I slowly ventured out and scrubed with different techs. You get to see how different each tech sets up for a case. Overall my externship has been very enjoyable. And of course, there's mistakes! I have had one only (thank god) since I've been there. I made it, and I won't make it again. They know we are students, so they expect mistakes to be made, but they don't expect us to keep making the same mistakes over again, so live and learn! Now my day at the hospital is pretty routine, I still get excited on certain cases, and now I feel like a surgical tech. |
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Inside The OR This is where the action takes place! As far as the surgeries, I was expecting more blood, smells, and code browns, but tourniquets and cautery do a good job of stopping bleeding, and the only smell I've smelled is the burning flesh from the cautery. I guess I'll see more code browns the longer I'm a tech...........not that I wanna see more code browns. The biggest suprise is the OR humor that a lot of the surgeons bring! Nothing is off limits! Some of these surgeons are like Howard Stern! I've heard sexist, racial, gay, and everything in between jokes! The nurses are used to them it seems. Some Doctors bring their own music in the OR (that's cool when they do that) some are soooooooo easy to work with. they make you more confident as a tech, and even give you a surgical procedure lesson during the surgery. They outnumber the more demanding surgeons. The harder to work with Doctors will give you practice in developing a thick skin, working under pressure, and a very good excercise in learning how not to take things in the OR personal. So either way, you come out learning something (LOL)! I love being in the OR, there's no job like it. |
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Last 5 Weeks Assuming everything has gone well during your externship, one specified day of the last 5 weeks of your externship will be spent at school reviewing and taking practice test for the AST certification. If you have the good fortune of having DR.Beshay (whom I love) for your externship instructor, you will start your reviews every Tuesday and Thursday or Monday and Wendsday as soon as you start at your hospital. You will have higher test scores than those who do not have her for an instructor. She will not allow you to forget everything you learned while in the classroom. If you do not have DR. Beshay, Connie (ST Program Director) will replenish what was forgotten during these 5 weeks of review, (for those willing to come.)The purpose of the test and reviews is to find the weakest area that you might need to brush up on before you take the actual AST certification test. So during this time, you go 3 days to your hospital, and 1 day to the school for review and test. |
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The End By the end of Externship, you'll be ready for an entry level ST Position (I feel ready). There is still sooooooooooooooooo much to learn! Everyday I see something new, no joke! This is not a job you pick up in a few weeks, and It's not just passing instruments. I feel very fortunate to have been able to complete my Externship at a high quality hospital, and to participate in a wide variety of surgeries. After completing your externship and graduating, one major goal has been accomplished. The next major goal is securing a job in the field, and the quest continues. Good luck to all students entering, or completing your externship. |
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