SURGERY 1

Surgery Observation

Kaitlyn Chambers

Youngstown State University

Professional Nursing 2 Lab

Mrs. Class

October 6th, 2020

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Surgery Observation
This week I got to see two different surgeries. This was my first time getting to see a

surgery. When I first got down to the floor one of the nurses helped us get our scrubs and figure

out where we were going. I waited for a little bit with the nurses until it was time for my patient

to get ready for surgery. I was not able to get to see the preoperative phase for either of my

patients, but I was able to see it for another patient.

During the preoperative phase, the nurse went into the patient’s room, took their vitals,

and asked the patient questions about their medical history, any medication allergies, etc. The

nurse then asked the patient why they were there and what type of procedure were they having

done. Then the nurse had the patient sign the consent form. Also, an IV was placed into the

patient’s arm and any glasses, jewelry, etc. was removed from the patient. After that was all done

the circulating nurse and the nurse anesthetist came and took the patient to the surgical room.

When we arrived in the surgical room the circulating nurse and nurse anesthetist got the

patient onto the bed where the surgery was going to be taken place and placed a strap around the

patient thighs to keep them safe. The circulating nurse scrubbed the surgeon and the scrub tech

helped him put on the sterile gloves. Once the anesthesia was administered and the patient was

asleep everyone in the room made sure they had everything ready for the surgery. The name of

the patient and what procedure was being done and any allergies was written on a whiteboard in

the back of the room. Also, the number of supplies and instruments being used was written down

as well. The circulating nurse then did a time out and then the procedure began.

The patient was having a laparoscopic cholecystectomy done. Which is where they go in

and remove the gallbladder. The patient was to have this procedure done because they were

having abdominal pain, bloating, and weight gain. The patient also had an ultrasound that
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showed sludge and stone and the patient also had cholecystitis without obstruction. The surgeon

did not open up the patient with a big incision however he made three small incisions to insert a

narrow tube with a camera and instruments to go into the patient’s abdominal cavity and identify

the gallbladder and liver so they he could separate them to remove the gallbladder. The surgeon

put clips at the ends of where he was cutting the gallbladder out and was sucking out the bile and

extra fluid. Once the gallbladder was removed, they took a biopsy of the liver because there was

a white spot on it. Then sutures and surgical glue were placed on all the port sites. The patient

had three of them.

During the procedure I got to watch the surgeon use his instruments and camera to move

around inside the patient and I was able to see it on the screen. The circulating nurse was

explaining to me what the surgeon was doing. In the surgical room were two circulating nurses, a

surgeon, a resident, a scrub tech, a nurse anesthetist with a student, and a rep. It was very

interesting to see how everyone worked together and what everyone’s role was. The nurses were

mainly just charting and getting whatever the surgeon or scrub tech needed, while the nurse

anesthetist was watching the patients vitals and checking on the patient.

After the procedure, the nurse anesthetist and circulating nurse got the patient off the

surgical table and onto the bed and took him to the postop area. Here the nurse anesthetist made

sure the patient was conscious and checked the vitals and then left. The circulating nurse

explained to the postop nurse what was done and how many sites were on the patient and

anything else they needed to know. The postop nurse checked the vital of the patient and made

sure they were warm and if they needed any pain medication. Before the patient can be sent to

phase 2 the nurse must get three good vitals on the patient about 15 minutes apart. The nurse said

they are usually in phase 1 for about 45 minutes to an hour.

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There were three different nurses that helped the patient the preop, intraop, and postop

nurses. All the nurses made sure to explain to the next nurse what was going on and made sure

the patient was comfortable and felt safe. They never left the patient alone and was doing

whatever they could to make the patient less stressed and let them know what was going on.

The other procedure I got to see was a laparoscopic right hemicolectomy. In this

procedure they opened up the patient and removed the right colon. Since this was an open

precure the circulating nurse and scrub tech had to count all of the instruments they had to begin

with again before they closed the patient to make sure nothing was lost or stuck inside the

patient. During this procedure I got to stand behind the patient where the nurse anesthetist stands

and watch the whole procedure and she and the surgeon explained to me what they were doing

and what I was looking at. Once the right colon was removed the surgeon sutured the rest of the

colon back together and then stitched up the patient. I was able to hold and feel the part of the

colon that was removed and get a close look at it. It was very interesting to see how big it was

and what it felt like.

Overall, my experience done in surgery was amazing. I have always wanted to work done

in surgery or be a nurse anesthetist so getting to see what everyone did and experience my first

surgery was truly amazing. All the staff worked and communicating so well together and made

the procedures go so smoothly. Also, the handoffs to the nurses were done very well and

efficiently. I would love to get another chance to experience it again and learn even more.