An Outrage in the Operating RoomI f

I was shocked beyond belief when I read the Tulsa World article in 7/7/2010 that said that surgical technologists (nurse or other personnel that help in the operating room) do not have to be certified in any way before helping out in a surgery. WHAT!? That's right your barber or beautician has to have more schooling to cut your hair than someone aiding in a surgical procedure and I am not talking about minor surgery either! The article goes on to say that the surgical technologists have to be able to identify and retrieve surgical instruments from among over 15,000 options and to do it quickly. They are also responsible for sterilizing the instruments and counting sponges and needles to make sure nothing was left in the patient. Also they disinfect surgical sites, and observe patients vital signs. All of this can be done without any certification or any proof of competency in these matters. Pretty scary huh? It is amazing to me that the State of Oklahoma which requires certification for a number of jobs in a variety of fields of work has no outlines or qualifications whatsoever. This is an outrage! What are they doing up at the Capitol when things like this slip by but we can make time to lay out the official meal and other worthwhile things. Someone was asleep on their watch while this went unnoticed. This has been brought to the attention of Senator Dan Newberry, his reaction was similar to mine one of disbelief. We cannot allow orderlies and other non qualified people in the operating rooms of Oklahoma. If doctors want to lower malpractice insurance claims here would be a good cause to get behind to get the ball rolling.Link http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=17&articleid=20100707_17_A11_Certif212362&archive=yes