I haven't been HO-bitching for a while...was trying to break bad habits...unfortunately, i was on call with a 'truly amazing' HO recently...i just had to blog it down so i won't forget about the things that happened during that call...so apparently it was this particular HO's first OT call...boss has always been telling me he thought this HO (let's call him B) was a little weird...and he definitely was no brightest brick in the block....but i actually got to know how thick his skull was during that call...
We had 3 operations that day...2 appendicectomies and 1 PGU repair...thank God only 1 op required my 2nd MO to come in...or else he might have died of MI or stroke if he saw the things B did while he's scrubbed...i think my BP increased by at least 20% that day...so the 1st appendicectomy...it was as if B had never scrubbed up in his entire life...coz he doesn't even know how to put on the OT gown...the nurse had to instruct him how to do it...then after he gloved up, he put his hands below his waist...anything below waist is considered not sterile...the nurse told him off once...and twice...and thrice...and he kept doing it....
And during the op, he isn't helpful at all...doesn't retract where i need to see...even though i already placed the retractor where i want it for him to hold, he'd still manage to move the retractor out of place...it was quite frustrating....and he would put his free arm behind his back...much to the astonishment of my scrub nurse...who told him time and again that the back is also non-sterile area...he didn't just do this for the 1st appendicectomy...he was doing the same things again during the 2nd appendicectomy...i mean really....even a cat/dog can be trained to obey commands when told or showed enough times....
The icing on the cake was when he was helping me drape for the PGU repair patient...usually we'd drop the sterile towel so that we won't come into contact with non-sterile environment...but no, our hero B did a graceful arabesque and nicely placed the sterile towel over the patient's top while gently brushing the GA HO's head (who is a guy) with his hand....my eyes totally popped out...i just couldn't help but to yell at him and asked him to change his bloody glove coz he still had that clueless look on his face as if i was yelling at him for no reason....it was actually damn funny to watch it happen...except that i couldn't laugh at that time coz patient's life was in hand...if any of the 3 patients had post-op wound infection, we'd know where the germs came from...
By the time we were closing the patient's wound, i've had enough of B that i asked him to please unscrub...i actually asked him if there was anything wrong with him...he answered that he was not feeling well...but i don't think that's an acceptable reason for being totally thick-skulled and plain stupid...after that, the urology consultant came in for a cystoscopy and asked the OT call HO to scrub in...i called the runner to go in instead...to spare the consultant the risk of MI or stroke...
I just pray he won't be my OT call HO again anytime soon....he's Siang Lin's OT call HO today...will see what Siang Lin has to comment about B....Lord help us all...
Oh dear, finally you are putting it all in writing!!! You are really too kind! Thank God I am no longer working or I'd probably throw him out of my OT, may be chase him out like a rat. Listening to you tell the story is one thing, but when I read it and try to visualize it, I can't help but wonder why are you so kind...... try smacking his thick skull, but don't think it will have any effect, you will hurt your hand only....hahahaha!!!
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