r/scrubtech • u/bunnieebby • 7d ago
First day of clinicals
Hii everyone, today was my first day of clinicals and i left the hospital feeling uncertain about being their for the next 4 months. It was like preceptors made it their duty to be a-holes. It seems like they are thriving off making things complicated and trying to be intimidating. I would love it if I could get some encouragement and uplifting words to keep going, sometimes it helps to hear it from a different source :)
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u/Lets_Get_Tropical93 7d ago
Look my first day of clinicals felt like it was a day in hell. Was not ready for a hysterectomy and retracting for a gunshot with A-hole preceptors but not every day is gonna be a great day in the O.R. As for the preceptors, not everyone is meant to be a teacher and they got a lot of workload on them but that’s not your fault and I promise you there are great preceptors. If you just stick it out, let the bs roll off you and take the criticism as a learning experience, they’ll warm up to you. I felt the same way but I like this job and I stuck it out and if you stick it out, you’re gonna learn a lot and do great!
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u/WashedUpBoi 7d ago
i just graduated and theyre not there to berate you, theyre employees and are making sure you're doing the right thing. Be patient and do your best. You got this.
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u/QueenCat50220 7d ago
I’ve recently started clinicals too (2nd week.)
For the last 8 months of school, my instructors have criedddd about how terrible and snappy and egotistical the surgeons are gonna be.
The surgeons have been wonderful! Patient, informative, taking time to teach me things I don’t even really NEED to know but is cool to learn.
Very much the opposite from almost all my preceptors, circulators, and nurses.
I try to give them the benefit of the doubt; they’re probably teaching and explaining things ALL DAY, a lot more than any surgeon. They do have infinitely LESS patience, and it’s valid.
And the “boomer” mentality is VERY prevalent.
“I had to learn the hard way, so you do too.”
All that to say you’re not alone. I’m seeing the same thing.
I just try to think of it as I am paying to be here and for you to teach me. We all signed up for this, I signed up for this school and they signed up for this job.
You can have an attitude and be snappy, but you’re GOING to tell me how this works.
You are PAYING for this. Be pushy (to an extent.)
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u/probablygoblins 7d ago
So, the problem with some of this is sometimes we DONT get paid to teach you. I’m lucky my hospital does give us 1$ extra to teach a whole ass student while we do our incredibly complex and detail oriented jobs. I’m also lucky in that if the case is hard or we’re not feeling up to teaching we can pass. Some places aren’t that accommodating.
Also if you think preceptors make things complicated wait til you meet some surgeons. It’s as much learning to work with strong personalities as it is learning to work with the tools and environment.
But it will get easier. You gotta stick with it and pay attention and your time to do things your way will come but right now you’re at the mercy of people who maybe shouldnt be teaching and it’s not fair to either of you.
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u/anthill_terrorist 7d ago
Honestly, in my experience, it’s likely the hospital. In my state there are 4 hospital systems and IMO all of them suck except one which is where I applied and now work. Culture is something that changes even between departments. I worked at 2 units under the same org and they were vastly different. You will have to rotate eventually and it may even be worse, but once you are done, you can find a place that works for you. Oh, and don’t follow the money, places that are that desperate usually beat you into resigning before you even hit 1 year with the facility.
You got this, stay strong!
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u/BootOriginal5966 5d ago
I left my first day of clinicals crying by the time I got to my car due to a preceptor that I've only worked with a handful of times since then. In my head I call her Medusa because she has such a resting crabby face and it's hard to look her in the eye. I now enjoy working with her, if only to prove her wrong about my growing knowledge.
Some preceptors just don't like having a student with them. Some nurses, residents, PAs, surgeons, scrub techs will find ways to let you know your presence isn't appreciated without actually voicing it. You just have to ignore the intimidation. Unless they are causing you to contaminate anything or are jabbing you with sutures - just ignore it. It took me 6 months to find the inner peace needed to not take anything personal.
As a student you ARE new and you WILL make mistakes so long as you are new. The only way that will change is if you spend more time scrubbing. As long as you are focusing on the procedure and considering the patients safety, you are doing what you should be doing. Don't worry about the extra people in the room. If they have a poor attitude while getting you what you need and getting through the case, who cares what their tone of voice is? It will make the days where you have a good preceptor all that much better.
Eventually your greatest intimidation will not be your preceptor, it will be the lack of one.
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u/Odd_Contact_2175 7d ago
A lot of surgical techs think they are gods gift to the OR because of their experience and because Dr. So-and-so likes them. The biggest hurdle for new people is the other staff. If you stick it out you can become experienced and be a positive influence for new people.
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u/pookytime 6d ago
Had a Sadistic old bitch as a nurse who loved belittling me and reminding me of how little I knew every single day of clinicals. but then I finished and got hired by my site and after probation, I was able to join the union and tell her to go fuck herself. It was great. Just look at your clinicals like one of those old prison cartoons where the prisoner scratched off a tally stick on the wall that represented each day that he served and soon it will all be over
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u/cricketmealwormmeal 7d ago
Look at it from the employee’s point of view. You are new and clueless and that hospital employee is responsible for your actions, plus their own job performance. Your school that you paid big bucks tuition for is using that tech as free labor to train you. They have to fill out evaluations and do extra paperwork. They are likely not getting paid to train you by the facility either. If by some rare chance they do get paid to precept students, it’s 50 cents or maybe $1/hr. That’s insulting.
Most places a room just gets assigned a student because they need the case, not because the CST loves votech students. Techs see an endless parade of new students every semester, are asked to invest time & effort training them. Then the hospital doesn’t hire new grads. It’s not the OR staff’s fault that HR thinks $17.50 is a good starting wage. It’s frustrating.
Show some deference and gratitude. They don’t have to be your best friend. If someone doesn’t seem dedicated to teaching you, just ask to scrub in & stand unobtrusively on the other side of the mayo to watch.