Your first time in theatre
A few habits make you welcome in theatre and keep everyone safe.
Before
Eat and drink something. Long cases and warm theatres make students faint.
Introduce yourself to the scrub nurse and anaesthetist as well as the surgeon.
Ask whether you can scrub before you start scrubbing.
Scrubbed in
Hands stay above the waist and in front of you. Don't touch anything blue unless you've been told to.
If you think you've desterilised, say so straight away. Nobody minds the honesty, everyone minds the infection.
If you feel faint, say so early and step back. It happens to everyone.
Learn from it
Read up the operation and the patient beforehand so you can ask good questions at quiet moments.
Watch the WHO safety checklist and the team, not just the surgical field.
St George's Cardiothoracic Surgery Society, City St George's, University of London.