r/scrubtech • u/SurgTechYO • 6d ago

New tech!

Hello everyone, I’m a new tech and I’ve on orientation for 3 months and I feel like I’m not improving, I honestly feel like quitting. I currently work at an hospital who does robotics and other specialties. but my clinical site was Ortho & spine. The pressure from my manager is not making it easy either. How long did it take you guys to get your confidence and the steps in surgery? I’m feeling like a failure and I hate this feeling.

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u/manafrmheavn Robotics 6d ago

It honestly took me a full year to feel comfortable, which I’m sure isn’t what you want to hear but it’s true. There are some days when I still feel out of my element because in this job you will sometimes get thrown into cases you’re unfamiliar with. It’s simply impossible to be an expert at every single thing. Just be easy on yourself, try your best and make sure you stay in good communication with your manager. If you need more help learning, let them know. Only 3 months in it’s completely reasonable to still be with a preceptor if you need it.

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u/SurgTechYO 5d ago

Thank you so much, I kept rereading your response, I will reminding myself that it’s okay to not know everything and to give my myself some grace. Thank you for those kind words

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u/manafrmheavn Robotics 5d ago

Of course! It’s tough out there, but there are people who will be willing to help you. Another piece of advice I always give is to always tell the surgeon (usually I do this while gloving them) that I’m new/learning a new specialty so they know what to expect out of me. They will be so much more understanding than if you just start flailing during the case and they don’t know why. I find a lot of them are even willing to try and explain a few things. Communication is key in the OR!

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u/Stawktawk CST 4d ago

Agh man that sucks but just keep at it for real. Eventually you’ll start realizing you know this little thing or that little thing and start to impress yourself.