In yesterday’s post, I told the story of my first experience working with the microscope in surgery. I talked about how I spent 15 minutes struggling to see and trying to figure out what the in the Sam Hill was going on. I told of how I was “rescued” by my scrub tech, who laughed and laughed (and laughed), but fixed everything and got me going.
I didn’t know. No one had taught me.
As I’m finishing this story for my buddy the spine surgeon, he stops me and says, “I’ve got one better,” he begins:
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As a resident, we had this spine surgeon who loved to teach. You’d be in his room, and he would show you everything and let you do more than most attendings. He would talk and talk throughout the surgery. One day, this resident scrubs in with him. I don’t remember what the case was, but it was long, like 4 or 5 hours. So they scrub and get everything draped out. They make the incision, and then bring in the microscope. The surgeon stands on his side of the table, the resident is on the other, and they get to work.
All throughout the case the surgeon’s talking, teaching, and asking questions. “What is this structure? Can you see this? Pretty cool, right? You can see the dura here.” And on and on for 4 hours!
Finally, the surgeon says you, “You know what? Come on around to my side, and I’ll let you close using the microscope. It’s a little tricky at first, but it’ll be easier from my side.”
So they switch sides….
The surgeon gets around the table to the resident’s side and freezes. Looking through the eye pieces, he sees nothing. NOTHING. Darkness. That’s it.
It turns out there’s a switch on the side of the microscope that turns the assist view on and off.
It was off. For 4 hours, it had been off!
The resident was too nervous or scared or whatever to speak up. For 4 hours!
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You are not supposed to know everything. No one expects you to. Even now. I’ve been at this for ten plus years. I don’t know everything (not even close).
It takes a lot of confidence to say, “I don’t know.” It’s one of the hardest things to do, but if you don’t know, say so. Then figure it out.
ME – “Hi, I’m Brian. I’m one of the PAs at the hospital and I’m helping you today.”
Surgeon – “Great. Nice to meet you. Do you do a lot of XYZ?”
ME – “Nope. I’ve never done one before, but if you talk me through it, I’m good at following directions.”
It isn’t easy, especially when you’re new. Confidence is a major factor, whether in surgery or in the office talking to patients. Everyone can sense when you’re shaking. And if you’re trying to hide it, teammates and patients won’t trust you.
On your exam, you won’t trust yourself.
The best way to build confidence is to practice. It’s easier to think you’re good at something if you’ve been practicing. The Final Step was built for quick practice. The kind of practice that will help you build confidence and trust in yourself.
Get your hands on a copy here:
Brian Wallace
