Monday, November 3, 2008

Easy Gunner

So here I am, 12 weeks of medical school under my belt and I am going to address one thing today.  I am still amazed by some of my fellow students' need to scrub in after peeing.  Dude, we get it, you have scrubbed in on a few surgeries, big deal.  Yeah it is neat, but you do not need to be peacocking your hand washing skills around like you are Howie Mandel*.  No joke, day one of orientation, first bathroom break, dudes were up to their elbows in suds, scrubbing like they were at a mysophobia convention.  Getting in between the creases, under the nails.  It's cool, bro, the only person who needs to worry about suing you over an infection is you.  Relax, as soon as you grip the door knob on the way out you will already have a nice blanket of bacteria on your arm.  It makes more sense to wash your hands BEFORE peeing anyways, but culture dictates otherwise.  You want to be a surgeon?  Better learn how to not pee on your hands first.


*Mandel has obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and mysophobia (fear of germs) to the point that he does not shake hands with anyone, including enthusiastic contestants on Deal or No Deal, unless he is wearing latex gloves. Instead of shaking contestants' hands when they offer them, Mandel often opts to exchange fist pounds, put his hands on contestants' shoulders, or give an occasional hug.

4 comments:

  1. Confession time, I only scrubbed when I had to, i.e. Attending or Senior resident watching, or if I really needed to wash my hands, like if I had to touch a patient without gloves. Whats the point of the sterile gown and gloves??

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  2. My daughter is totally OCD now too. She won't put her purse on the floor in a restaurant, or on the counter in a bathroom. She won't eat off silverware if it's been directly on the table. She will not touch a door knob or a door handle. She won't use the lid to her Starbucks cup if it's been laid on the counter.
    Funny that she has ended up in Kenya where they have no counters--no restaurants--no bathrooms! And NO WHERE to wash your hands for sure!!!!
    Interestingly enough, she has not been sick at all. In fact, she is the only one in her group to have NOT contacted Malaria yet.
    Great visual post.
    Miss you!

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  3. I'm not living if I'm not mutating! Love those critters...especially the ones that reside on public computers after a previous user has picked his nose before answering an e-mail. Poetry in motion. Yum!

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  4. Mersa for life brah!

    -AWS

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