Want to be a surgical nurse?

Last week my hospital got a Da Vinci robot. This machine allows surgeons to operate through three small incisions in the abdomen. Through one goes a remote camera, and through the other two go robotic arms that the surgeon manipulates via video game like controls and can rotate 360 degrees. As part of our orientation to this new surgery, the staff on my surgical floor watched a video of a surgery being done with the Da Vinci robot.

Imagine looking inside the human body while a diseased or dysfunctional part was being cut away and removed, and you get an idea what the video was like. I'm not trying to gross anybody out, but I am trying to make a point.

There was one nurse there who had no surgical experience. She turned a shade of green; but the rest of us were munching on chips and dip, our eyes fixed on the video. Although as a nurse tech I have limited knoledge of the anatomy, I got there early to snag the best seat and watched, fascinated. Surgical nursing is not for the squeamish. You will see blood and open wounds that require treatment.

On the other hand, one patient we had who had the Da Vinci surgery actually went home the same day. Keep in mind that her surgery usually requires at least a three day stay. She was up and walking, urinating, and passing gas all of which are requirements. She went home feeling fine and never came back with any complications.

This is amazing to me. I've been a tech on a surgical floor for twenty years and have never seen anything like this, apart from laparoscopic gall bladder surgery. So if you don't mind some blood and gore and want to work in one of the most dynamic fields of nursing, my coworkers and I welcome you with open arms. I truly believe that the changes are just beginning.

For now, good night.