I’m a surgical tech. That’s the person who sets up the room for surgery, and assists the surgeon during the case. I started a new job after moving in January. This is my horror story. It’s a long one.
First off, why they should be shut down.
-They made us take dirty instruments through the “sterile” supply room to get to decontamination. There was regularly blood on the floors.
-The ORs weren’t cleaned with an approved disinfectant, and frequently tissue and trash was left that I had to clean before the next case.
-The door to one of the ORs had been hanging crooked and couldn’t close for a month, which prevents maintaining positive pressure. We had cases in that room almost every day.
-There was rust and paint chips on the lights that hang directly above the patient, the beds, and other equipment.
-They couldn’t maintain proper heat and humidity levels in several rooms.
-Techs/surgeons would neglect their first scrub, scrub with rings on.
-Sexual harassment, particularly from a surgeon acting like a frat boy in a scrub cap, was tolerated.
-Surgeons screaming and throwing things was tolerated.
Overall, the place was filthy, and I was overwhelmed trying to fix what I could.
Last Friday, I was put in a case that I had never done before, with a surgeon I’d never met, by myself. I told my board nurse I was uncomfortable, and she essentially said “too bad”. (For my medical people out there, I specialize in ortho, this was a large GYN case). I had already been looking for another job, and I got a call to interview Monday.
I called out, did the interview, got the job- 4 days a week, $2.50 per hour raise, no call, weekends, or holidays. Yesterday, I show up to work (on time) and as I’m putting scrubs on, the board nurse calls me demanding to know where I was. After I go out of the locker room, she put her hand on my shoulder and said “I just want to touch base with you about being on time” and I reminded her I was there when she called. She switched up and said “oh that’s right, thanks, you’re awesome!” Which pissed me off more.
So I went to hand in my notice (I was going to put in two weeks, but had enough and put the end of my shift) to the director. I calmly expressed my concerns, and she went from her usual sweet persona to a nasty attitude and threatening me with “you’re burning bridges” and I would be “blacklisted and ineligible for rehire”. I looked her dead in the face and said “you know what? I’m okay with that.” I finished my shift and didn’t look back.
So thanks to this sub for giving me the guts I needed to walk out of that shitty job, and I’m looking for the appropriate avenues to report everything I saw there. I have pictures to prove most all of it. Thank you to everyone who read this, and everyone who led by example and told their stories here.