Theatre Etiquette Guide 2019

3. Don’t be afraid to ask - If you do arrive and the operation has already started all hope is
not lost. Make sure that you’re wearing all necessary protective equipment (see our top
tips later on) and ask if it is ok for you to view the operation. Often there will be an ODP
(operating department practitioner - the people that help the anaesthetists mostly) in the
anaesthetic room and they can tell you who the anaesthetist and surgeons are before
you actually get in to the operating room itself.
Some practical tips:
Before going to theatres:
Ideally you should have had an induction to show you where the changing rooms and
where to go after that. If not, ask some of the FY1s attached to the relevant surgical team or
check with some other med students who have already been there. Policy varies between
hospitals about appropriate clothing so make sure that you ask someone at the theatre
reception for the low down if you didn't get an induction. Some hospitals have specific coloured
caps that students are meant to wear (in Addie’s it’s white), some hospitals are a little picky
about what shoes you wear while others are happy with you wearing any old trainers. Most
places will want you to be wearing your lanyard at all times and remember that the majority of
changing rooms are not very secure so best to leave any valuables at home or in a locker.
Getting in to theatres:
Layout of theatres varies massively between hospitals. Some have their own dedicated
anaesthetic and scrub rooms, some do not and knowing which door is safest to go through can
be very tricky. In general, in the morning or afternoon before the list has started it is safe to use
any of the doors. If in doubt, it’s normally safest to first check there isn’t a patient in the
anaesthetic room and go through there.
Knowing who’s who:
Operating theatres can be busy places and it’s important to know the roles of everyone
involved. In general, if someone is scrubbed they will have one of 3 roles. They will either be:
a) The scrub nurse - They prep all of the equipment and hand necessary tools to the
surgeon during the operation. They are normally very busy paying close attention to
what is going to be needed next so in general best not to try and disturb them.
b) The consultant surgeon - They’ll probably be doing most of the work that you can see
going on.
c) Registrar - Unless they’re being specifically taught something they normally take on the
role of assisting the consultant surgeon.
At the head of the patient will be the anaesthetist who may have a trainee with them. If not they
will often have an ODP somewhere nearby. There is normally also a number of other nurses
who do things like collect equipment for the scrub nurse and record swabs used. In addition to
all of these for certain operations there may be radiographers milling around and other people
might pop in and out like equipment reps, theatre managers and other surgeons.