Medical and Dental Technicians
Operate anaesthetic, operating theatre and medical testing equipment, construct and repair dentures and other dental appliances, and perform and assist with laboratory tests in support of Health Professionals.
A full surgical list on a Thursday
You are an operating theatre technician at a city hospital, supporting the team through a full day of surgery. It is 7:15am. Eight cases are listed in two theatres, and one of them was added at the last minute. You are setting up the first theatre, and the surgeon has arrived early.
Choose what you would do. Then see what happens. There are often good reasons for each choice.
I'm running behind and the first patient is ready. The instrument set looks fine to me. Can we skip the full count and start? I've done this operation a hundred times and I'm confident we're good.
Agree to skip it, because he is experienced, he is running late and the patient is already waiting
Nothing goes wrong on the day, but the count exists to stop an item from being left behind. Skipping it once makes it easier to skip again, and sooner or later that matters.
Say politely that the count happens every time, and ask the team to do it quickly
The count takes two minutes and Dr Harrington says nothing more. The whole theatre has seen the check done. Rules that never bend are what keep everyone safe.
Do the count quietly on your own after the surgery begins, so the list does not slow down
The count is done, but not at the moment that matters and not with the full team. It's a step in the right direction, and it's not how the count is meant to work.
I've got a patient waking up in recovery who's quite distressed and doesn't know where she is. I'm on my own with three patients. Could you come and sit with her for a few minutes?
Finish tidying the theatre first, then come when you are done and everything is put away
The theatre is spotless, but the patient was frightened for longer than she needed to be. The tidying could have waited five minutes.
Tell the next team you'll be late and go and sit with her straight away
You hold her hand and speak quietly, telling her where she is and that all is well. She settles. The team forgives the short delay. Looking after people is part of your role, not only the equipment.
Tell Alisha that it's not part of your role and she should call someone else from the ward
It's true that you don't usually do this, but the patient is alone and distressed. Alisha manages by herself and does not forget it.
The urgent case is coming up from emergency now. We'll need theatre two in twenty minutes. It's still being cleaned. I know you were about to take your break. Can you help get it ready?
Skip the break and rush to set up by yourself, as it is an emergency and time matters
The theatre is ready, but you're tired and make a small slip in the setup. You catch it, and realise you need a break to do the job properly.
Take your break as planned and let someone else deal with getting the theatre ready
The coordinator finds another person, but they are less familiar with the set-up. The theatre is ready late and the emergency patient waits.
Help get it ready now, and ask Ngaire to arrange cover for your break afterward
The theatre is ready in time, Ngaire arranges cover and you eat something before the next case. Saying what you need while still helping keeps you sharp enough to do the job safely.
How it went
The list finished a little late, the count was done on every case and one patient was comforted. Operating theatre and medical technicians work as part of tightly organised teams, with checks that look dull until the day they matter. Would you be comfortable being the person who insists on the check?
This is a simplified, fictional situation to help you explore. It is not professional instruction or a test of your ability.
Case study: The equipment check that nearly got skipped
A fictional case set in the operating theatres of a fictional city hospital, working beside surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses.
The situation
Marcus was an anaesthetic technician at a city hospital. It was a Monday morning and an urgent case had been added to an already packed list. The anaesthetist, Dr Lowe, was running late and asked Marcus to set up quickly. A piece of equipment looked fine on the outside, but Marcus knew it had not been fully checked since being cleaned the night before. The patient was already waiting in the next room.
What they did
Marcus told Dr Lowe he needed three minutes to finish the check, and why. He did not make a speech. He worked through it calmly, found a small fault, swapped to a spare unit and let the team know the change. He then wrote the fault in the log and told the equipment team so it would be fixed. The patient's case began a few minutes late.
How it turned out
The surgery went ahead without trouble. Dr Lowe thanked him afterward and said she would rather wait three minutes than discover a fault at the wrong moment. The log entry led to the unit being repaired and a note being added to the morning checklist.
What would you do?
- How would you feel about telling a senior doctor you need a few more minutes?
- What do you think makes a theatre team work well when everyone is under pressure?
- Would you enjoy being responsible for the things that nobody notices unless they go wrong?