Preparing for the Externship

Students who enroll in a Surgical Technologist program will complete an Externship at the conclusion of their classwork. The purpose of the Externship is to provide real-world training in an OR environment.

Most Surgical Technologist students approach the Externship nervous and eager. Even though Anthem’s training program carefully duplicates the OR environment, entering an OR onsite at a hospital or surgical center can be intimidating.

Heather Burggraf, a Certified Surgical Technologist who is also the vice president of the Association of Surgical Technologists Student Association (ASTSA), wrote about her Externship. “It was intimidating,” she recalls in an essay published in ASTSA News in 2009.

Heather recalls how nervous she was on her second day into the Externship as her preceptor watched her gown and glove in preparation for a total knee arthroplasty.  (She spent her first day observing a thyroidectomy and worrying about her upcoming performance in the OR.) “I managed to get myself sterile without fumbling,” she writes.

As she became more involved in the surgery, Heather forgot to be nervous. After all, she knew the instrumentation from her training and the environment wasn’t totally unfamiliar.

“I will never forget how surprised I was at how much of this felt familiar; we had learned more in lab than I realized. After that day, my nerves subsided a bit and from then on I went into each case with the confidence that I knew enough to be there, and I took every opportunity I could to learn more.” (Burggraf, 2009)

This is the whole point of the Externship: to test your skills in the real world, under close supervision.

Heather offers up some tips to remember for your Externship experience:

• Eat a good breakfast—a real one, not coffee and a doughnut. Put something in your stomach that will last you for the morning.
• Come prepared to take notes—bring your own pad and pen. “I always made notes after the case about what suture and special instruments were used,” Heather says.
• Ask questions. This shows your involvement and interest. But remember to ask questions at the right time. Some surgeons and preceptors welcome questions during the procedure, while others will want you to wait until it’s over. If the procedure is a stressful one, it’s best to wait.
• Remember you are there to learn. Some OR teams are jollier than others, but resist the temptation to get caught up in it. Your role is to watch and learn.
• Every clinical day is a job interview! You may not end up working where you did your Externship but the people there can be excellent sources for references. So keep it professional.
• Review your cases.
• Don’t argue with the OR team. Some teams carry out procedures differently than how you were taught. There is often more than one technique for a given procedure.
• Be careful with your Sharps. (You’ve heard this one already but it bears repeating.)

Most of all, enjoy the time. “Your clinical experience…will be one of the most memorable times of your life,” Heather concludes.

You can earn a Surgical Technologist diploma or degree at several campuses of Anthem Education, including The Bryman School of Arizona.

To learn more, call us at 1.866.502.2627 or visit our Web site.

Source:
Burggraf, Heather. “Clinical Externship: A Guide for the Surgical Technologist Student.” ASTSA News. Association of Surgical Technologists, Fall 2009. Web. 28 Dec. 2010.