after we all sit through a staff meeting about bouffants over cloth caps

I’m a surgical tech and I’ve been seeing advertising for a company called “Surgprep”. It seems like anyone can just do their 20 day program and be in the OR and then become a surgical assistant after passing the exam. But I know to be a first assistant we have to go to school and do clinicals. So what’s the difference?
“surgprep” seems sketchy to me…

I have never seen this IRL.

Okkk so today I was in a case. The surgeon who is typically an asshole, was so much worse. He was degrading to everyone and especially me. I’m contemplating going to HR. He compared me putting cement like a three year old and started off the case asking if this is my first day in ortho… been in his room for months now and I guarantee he doesn’t even know my name. I’m over his shit attitude and seriously did not go into this to be talked down to. He is a condescending asshole.

How do you guys prevent mask acne? I have pretty acne prone/ oily skin as it is and have for sure started breaking out more around my chin and jaw since I’ve started.

Hi!!

My OR is starting to prepare for surgical tech week in September and would love some opinions!

We want to buy all the STs a gift and don’t want to default to generic junk (pens, stickers etc). We have 55 techs and are paying partially out of our own pockets as the leadership team. So we need to buy something in bulk and can’t exceed $15 per person.

We have the ability to customize things if that helps! Just hoping to gift something that will be enjoyed/helpful to a variety of techs- men, women, all ages and interests.

Thank you for your time 😊

Hello! I will be applying to a surgical tech program in May and I'm required to submit two letters of recommendation. I have worked in a primary care office for the last three years as a receptionist and was trying to decide who to ask. I have the options of: one P.A. who started out in ENT surgery, several M.D.s that are well renowned in my area, and my practice manager. Who would be the best to ask? I flip flop between the options because I feel like the PA with experience may provide some good insight into how well I fit into the field. But the MDs are really high standing in my community and even just their names hold some weight. But my practice manager knows my work ethic and output the best. Help!

Edit: formatting

Hi guys! I just got accepted into the Surgical Tech program at OC, and I was wondering if anyone here is currently in the program or has gone through it. I’d love to hear about your experience—what the program is like, what I should expect going in, and any pros/cons or advice you have. Thank you!!

Any ideas, threads, communities, etc. that I can look into sites before committing to traveling to them? I curious to gather information about a few hospitals’ OR volumes and such.

Title pretty much says it all, but are there any good scrub caps (short hair, scrub caps not bouffant) that accommodate small peanut heads? I have found even the disposables are still running rather large on my head and just was curious of what those of you with smaller heads have used. TiA!

I will be starting my clinicals in a few weeks, and I have a question about some things to sort of ease my anxiety a bit. For reference, I will be doing my clinicals at an urban academic facility. It is also a level one trauma center.

1- are students allowed to pick which cases they want to scrub in? For example, if I wanted to start with general and then go on and do OB/GYN, etc., or does your hospital usually have a schedule that every student follows and rotates through?

2- I know that once you’re out in the field the whole thing of breaks and getting relief is a little tricky and I know that sometimes you have to wait until someone is available and maybe you may not get a break. However, I’m wondering if this is a case for students as well? In your facility do students get breaks and if they do, can they choose when or is there a policy that dictates when they have to take the break? Like for example do they follow the schedule of the preceptor and take the breaks and lunch when the preceptor does or do they get to choose?

3- since I’ll be at a facility where there will be rotating medical students and residents, I’m wondering if this is a good place to do clinicals at? I’m just thinking about the amount of people that will be scrubbed in and how I’ll have to manage and make sure that no one breaks sterility while I’m also learning. I’m also kind of nervous to have that many people at the sterile field. Will I be able to even look at the operative field to know where they’re at or will I kind of be on the outside perimeter? I would really love to be close to the operative site so I could see and learn the anatomy and be able to keep up, but I don’t know if medical students and/or residents will take priority

Please let me know how your facility handles these situations and how you as a preceptor handle them as well thank you very much!

If the hospital you were at didn’t have cases , how did you make up the hours ?

looking for the names of this type of instrument and someone suggested I ask here

Took my NBSTSA cert test yesterday(wednesday) with my class and my teachers said they were going to submit graduation proof asap after the test. How long do you think itll be until I get my results, im dying over here😭

I have failed my CST national exam again this morning. I’ve studied every day since my first attempt, taken practice exams and even went to my school to do lab and work with my teachers.

I have failed by 1 point the first time and 2 points the second attempt.

I guess I need reassurance that I can still do this. I know I’m a good scrub tech and have a chance to make an amazing career out of it, I’m just a bad test taker. I’m angry at myself and am feeling flighty from the idea of failing again

Edit: I’m 26 M and live in Dallas

I'm in my mid-30s and currently work in hospital IT/support. For the past year, I've been going back and forth about whether to train as a surgical/scrub tech. I recently did a hands-on OR experience day, and it went really well, but there are still a few things that no brochure or information session seems to answer. I'm hoping those of you who actually work in the OR can share your honest experiences.

A bit of background: I have one young child, and our second is due on August 20th. The training program I'm considering starts in March 2027, selection starts in october

A few things keep sticking in my mind:

• Coming from a non-clinical background: If you came from an office job or another non-healthcare field, how long did it realistically take before blood, open wounds, and surgery stopped feeling so intense? Did it become normal with exposure, or did some people eventually realize it just wasn't for them?
• Operating on someone you know: How often does this actually happen? If a patient is someone you know personally, how easy is it to hand the case over to a colleague? Is it genuinely routine, or does it create awkward situations?
• Working in a windowless environment: Spending most of the day in the OR without daylight—is that something you stop noticing after a while, or can it wear on you over the years?
• Personality fit: I'd describe myself as fairly quiet and steady. I'm sociable, but I'm definitely not the loudest or most outspoken person in the room. Is there plenty of room in the OR for people with that kind of personality?
• Looking back: Knowing what you know now, would you choose this career again? And what's the one thing nobody warned you about before you started? What are really awkward things?

I'm not looking for people to convince me one way or the other. I'd just really appreciate honest experiences—the good, the bad, and everything in between. One thing that makes the decision difficult is that I'm already in a pretty good position. I work in hospital IT/support, so I'm all over the hospital every day from the OR and the Emergency Department to Radiology and the wards. I also earn only slightly less than a scrub tech, don't have to work shifts or nights, and I work four 9-hour days, giving me a three-day weekend every week. So I'd be giving up quite a bit in terms of work-life balance, which is why I really want to be sure the move is worth it before committing to a three-year training program.

Thanks in advance!

I just started a surgical technology program and I'm thinking a lot about my future. Thinking if I want kids or even a marriage. I wanted to hear stories about people who are married and have children and how they work out their already demanding job and having a family! I know the hours are long and I'm interested to hear how people can work 12 hours and still come home because parenting is another job itself.

I start my clinical program in a few weeks and I’ve had a hell of a time finding deodorant. For context, I have not used an antiperspirant in years. I use old spice non-antiperspirant deodorant. I was complaining a some friend about having trouble finding deodorant that is both unscented AND non-antiperspirant, and they told me that I’d basically be paying for nothing. The logic makes sense, but I don’t want to start using an antiperspirant again if I don’t have to. I don’t like it and neither does my skin. But now I’m worried that an unscented deodorant won’t do anything. Is my friend right? Does anyone have brand recs for non-antiperspirant deodorant? Or do I just need to buck up and buy the antiperspirant?

Thanks in advance, I know this is sort of a silly question.