I was in surgery a few days ago, and I have to tie this knot while reaching over my surgeon and with my head sideways and the knot at eye level. I know it’s weird, but it happens. It’s like playing Twister.
I’ve been in cases where I spend an hour suturing while standing on one foot. It happens because you have multiple people working, and there’s only so much room at the field.
Here’s the point, sometimes it isn’t what you think it should be. When I was learning to suture, I thought jeez I can’t wait to get rid of these stupid oranges. The peel is tough and doesn’t hold a suture. The darn orange keeps rolling away from you. It’s infuriating. Until you’re in the OR sewing while standing on one foot why someone else is working and shaking the table.
Or you have a 90-year-old woman with paper-thin skin, and it won’t hold a stitch. There’s no dermas at all. You can’t get a stitch to hold and your tearing the skin and making it worse with every attempt.
Understand that it isn’t always perfect, EVER. Once in a while it’s nice, and it goes smooth, but that isn’t the norm. Embrace the suck, that’s how you get better.
Physician Assistant Exam Scholars
