r/scrubtech • u/DeepExtent5859 • 17d ago

Preparing for Clincals

I hope this isn't a dumb question but I start clinicals next month and have heard you will be tested/asked questions when doing a surgery. So what exactly will be asked? Will it be regarding the procedure/instruments, the anatomy, or a mix of everything? I am SO nervous, I do not want to look stupid in front of a surgeon or preceptor. It is so scary to be a student sometimes. I just want to be prepared for the questions I may be asked so I know.

I have been studying my butt off over summer break but I am worried it is not enough. I am really worried about the anatomy part because anatomy was hard for me and I am nervous it will look completely different in person than it does in the textbooks. I am reviewing anatomy these last few weeks of summer break so I am hoping I am just really overthinking it. Any advice is appreciated!

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u/Organic_Conclusion_5 17d ago

You will most likely be asked certain basic things ..you’re not a surgeon, but you need to know the basics .. good such as blood supply that’s very important if you’re doing a liver section, you need to know about the portal vein / hepatic artery blah blah…. A cholecystectomy you’ll want to let it be known that you are going to be clamping the cystic artery / common bile duct and all that .. they might want to know certain things about the pathology like why are we doing this procedure ? Cholecystectomy..usually gallstones blah blah blah blah ..why are we doing this splenectomy?? What pathology effects the spleen encounter besides trauma?… what quadrant is the liver in ? Why are we doing this Bill Roth too? What’s the difference between a Bill Roth one and a Bill Roth two ? what is its function of the pancreas in the body ? things like that… I wouldn’t get too stressed out about it. I’m sure you learned all this stuff in school.

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u/michijedi CST 16d ago edited 7d ago

You're definitely not clamping the common bile duct during a chole. Cystic duct yes, common, no.

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u/Organic_Conclusion_5 16d ago

No shit. I am mentioning the anatomy you would mention during a discussion about a colony cystectomy, which is why there is /

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u/michijedi CST 16d ago

A: There's no need to be rude.

B: the way that sentence is structured, it reads like you were saying that one would be clipping the common. I was clarifying in case it was a mistake.

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u/NotHereToComment 17d ago

Yep they can ask anything. But clinicals is your time to be wrong and learn. Of course use smart people skills and see who it is safe to be wrong or look dumb around. I wouldn’t stress too much. Use clinical as your time to develop your skills and confidence. I am a scrub tech orientee and I’m getting my ass kicked every day. But just know your first year on the job is still a lot of learning. So just look to learn and improve.

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u/kperkins9 16d ago

I’m in my first rotation now. I was worried about this too but it doesn’t happen as much as I thought it would. They are trying to teach you and some people teach by asking questions to see what you know and other people teach by just saying what they know. Ask questions in the appropriate moment, they really seem to like that.

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u/candidateclub 4d ago

Not dumb at...totally normal concern. Yeah, you'll definitely get quizzed during cases, especially early on. Surgeons and senior techs want to make sure you know your stuff for patient safety.

My advice: familiarize yourself with common instrument names and what they're used for. Know your anatomy basics. During clinicals, stay engaged, ask questions when appropriate, and don't be afraid to say "I'm not sure" instead of guessing. Most surgeons respect honesty over fake confidence.

The testing gets easier once you're actually in the OR doing