Medical student William Lawrence recalls an interesting first year student project.
Our SSC1 project investigated the degree to which distractions in operating theatres impacted the performance of staff. We chose to do the project because we all were interested in surgery and the aims of the study were easy to understand.
We observed the theatre environment during 24 different operations, noting when people entered or exited the room or when phones went off. Staff were surveyed after each operation to see how they felt their performance was impacted during the procedure. It was a great project for me as it was my first exposure to surgery as a medical student and a great privilege to be able to see so many different surgical specialities.
The logistics
It was arranged by our surgeon giving us the operating theatre times and letting us know which surgeons were happy for us to have students in. Then we would go to the theatre department, get changed, and go into the theatre. Everyone was happy to have us, however, some were more questioning at first. We definitely felt out of place in theatre, and it is very easy to get in the way. However, after the first couple of operations, you get an idea of the best place to stand and also what each staff member does during a procedure.
This meant that we could carry out our study better but also meant we enjoyed our time in the theatre more. I think an important thing to remember when starting out in theatre is that (most) of the team members are happy to have fresh faces in and love having someone to chat to/teach in their downtime – it’s just about choosing your moments!
Presenting at conferences
During the ‘SSC in 3’ section of ESSS’s annual conference, I presented our abstract which was put together from data collected during the SSC1. One of our project’s strengths was that our original project collected good, quantifiable results but what was really important was having an enthusiastic tutor and a group who wanted to continue working on it in their spare time.
In the end, we presented our results at two student conferences which meant that we gained a good level of feedback on our work and lessons for the future. For anyone hoping to present work they’ve done, try and avoid saying too many numbers but also don’t forget to enjoy the day – you’re there by choice and you’ve probably got something pretty cool to share with your audience, so have fun!
