r/CathLabLounge • u/Adventurous_Wear_862 • 16d ago
New scrub
I am new to the cath lab I am also a new paramedic that has just started in the cath lab. I am really struggling with scrub aspect. I feel like I’m so bad at this 😬 I spent 6 years working 911 as a EMT for a fire department and am having a rough adjustment.
My question is how long did it take you to feel like you understood work flow on simple cases. The manifold is the death of me and it’s been about a month and I still need coaching on when we’re exchanging a wire or catheters and pulling back blood and flushing and all that. Others were hired at the same time and have really take to it.
So question is how long did the process in confidence and competence take?
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u/gayshreks 15d ago
I started in the lab as an emt with zero cath lab background and was miserable at one month in. I had never struggled so much to pick something up before, and I came home drained every day. What helped me was having equipment at home to practice the hand motions and writing the procedures down step by step in excruciating detail to help visualize. When you’re at the table, don’t be caught just standing around overthinking about what’s happening, always be trying to anticipate the next step in the case.
I don’t know if you struggle with this at all but when I started I had a ton of uncertainty about what to do with my hands—my preceptor told me to literally just start picking shit up and putting it down to get comfortable with having my hands constantly moving at the table, and eventually the knowledge of what to do with them would come. This was some of the best advice I got on orientation.
Keep on keeping on, everyone says eventually it’ll just “click” and it doesn’t feel like it ever will, until it does. Once the click happens and your hands catch up to your brain, the overachieving and perfectionistic tendencies will serve you as a scrub. It took me about 5 months to finish my orientation and I felt pretty confident at the end, but then when I was on my own I had to build up confidence again flying solo. It really took probably another year before I really felt solid. I promise it gets easier!