Surgical Technologist Loves Challenge and Technology of 21st Century OR
Being a surgical technologist is a lot more than just handing instruments to surgeons.
“With our circulating nurse teammates, we assemble the entire operating room and ensure it’s ready for the surgeon,” said Avera Surgical Technologist Abi Donaldson, CST, CRCST, who’s worked at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center for 12 years. “We have many different patients in a day, along with a wide variety of providers.”
She’s part of a team that focuses on each patient to offer comprehensive, compassionate surgical care, with procedures that range from podiatry and orthopedic care to obstetrics, ophthalmology and endoscopy.
“Our team is closely connected, but when we have a new member join us or a student, we want to help them, yet learn from them,” Donaldson said. “Sometimes people do things a little bit differently. It’s good to have an open mind – and to welcome people.”
When you’re part of a busy team that aims at patient satisfaction, uses leading-edge technology and ensures skilled clinicians can do their best work, it’s exciting, she said.
“We work our regular shifts and serve on-call as well. It’s not easy – but I’m blessed to have great teammates and good leaders.”
How a High-Demand, Fast-Paced Surgery Team Helps Patients
While physicians might be the “lead actors” in the performance of surgery, Donaldson and her teammates see themselves as the stage managers and other behind-the-scenes folks who ensure the leads perform at their best.
“We have about a dozen surgeons at Avera Marshall, and each has preferences and approaches,” she said. “We pride ourselves in learning how they like to approach each case and every patient.” That could be specific priorities, the sequence of a procedure or even the preference for music during surgery.
They coordinate with all parties – the doctor, their clinic, their nurses, unit coordinators and floor leaders and clinic managers, and the recovery team to organize and prepare for the surgery.
In some ways, surgical technologists are the ligaments and tendons of the team, connecting the bones, muscles and joints that make up a successful operating room. It’s the norm for successful surgeries to go as planned. But emergencies occur, too.
“I’ve been in a surgery where we stopped to perform CPR,” she said. “The entire team responded so well. My role was to document what we did. It was a crisis, but our team smoothly responded to it.”
Donaldson said her typical day begins around 6:45 a.m. and wraps up midafternoon, save for the times when she’s on-call. Techs usually have about one later shift a week, and on-call weekends only about once every two months.
Demand, volume and stress are part of the career.
How a Busy Team Remains Positive and Keeps Patients First
While being a surgical technologist requires certain skills, her team works together to ensure the intensity is never too much.
It’s all about compromise and communication. If an on-call weekend comes up for someone on the surgical technologist team who is hosting a graduation open house, the manager works it out.
I’ve never had a ‘Well, that’s too bad …’ experience. We are family, so we’re compassionate to one another.
She knows she’s earning a leading-edge wage in her field. Donaldson also realizes she’s exposed to technology and advancements not found in every health system. She completed her certifications in both surgical technology and sterile processing while at Avera Marshall.
“Every surgery is a big surgery to the patient, to us and to the surgeon,” she said. “Burnout is real. Part of the family-like nature of our team is that we’re honest and real with each other.”
The Avera mission is also important to her. “We’re behind the scenes more than others, but we still have those super-rewarding interactions where we can help people who are scared or who need our advocacy,” she said.
Donaldson also is proud of the fact she serves as the voice for that person who’s under anesthesia on the table. “It’s an amazing role to play,” she said.
“In my time here, I’ve grown professionally, gained so many friends and helped so many people. I feel pretty lucky to have this career.”
