What I lost in becoming a surgical scrub student

Let's begin-

1) The urge to impulse buy nail polish. As they get old with age, the only thing I can do with my nails is:

        -Get a mani with no polish (and risk getting cut and not scrubbing-in for surgeries)

        -Buff and polish my nails (gives me the illusion of clear nail polish)

        -File them down so I don't have any nails (thankfully I have long nail beds)

Just get pedis!

They're more enjoyable anyway!

2) Good hair days:

         -As my straightener accumulates dust, my head bands are my new best friends (Hey Blair Waldorf!)

         -I wear my hair in a low-bun. Boring.

         -My hair is covered by my only way to express my personality, MY SURGICAL CAPS (Need to get a Lilly Pulitzer scrub cap - if only!) 

    

3) Make-up. Pffff please! I'm getting up at 4:30am. I only really make sure I brush my teeth and wash my face. DON'T LET ME FORGET MY D.O! In all honestly, I wear a mask the whole day. So I think about it like this: What are the features people actually going to see?

              -Eyebrows. Must be on point!

              -Eyelashes. Mascara must be on. Long and lush! 

              -Concealer. Ain't nobody got time for bags under their eyes!

              -Setting powder. Because it's a must. I can't skip it. 

*And I'm not there to impress with my looks, but with my brain! (But you can't skip the basics because no one takes a rough-looking girl seriously)

4) No discretion whatsoever! You've seen one, you've seen them all - of all ages. No shame! And of course not on purpose - no creepers!

5)  Being able to pee when you feel like it. Stuck in a 5 hour long surgery? Keep starring at that clock or door and pray someone taps you out. On breaks? Pee even if you don't even think you have to - cause who knows when you'll get the chance to go again!

6) Drinking water. Yes this hydrates you BUT it also makes you pee! Think long and hard about that cup of water. But I did see an episode of Grey's Anatomy where they wore diapers so they didn't have go to the bathroom. Doesn't sound that crazy to me anymore!

7) The ability to be a girly-girl - it's nonexistent in the OR! You can't be afraid to get in there and get a little dirty. What's more important? Saving a person's life or that spot on blood that just splashed onto you? In Ortho, I was doing a replacement and was PROUD of my one drop of blood on my gown. It meant I was getting in there for the patient, not me!

8) My engagement ring. No, not to be materialistic but it's so much more than just a ring, it's a promise my fiancé gave me and worked hard for, and gosh darn it he did such an amazing job picking it out too! Regardless, he is always in my heart and on my mind. But sometimes I get little panic attacks because I don't feel it on my finger, but then I remember it's at home safe and accounted for. I don't recommend anyone to bring their jewelry into the operating room, safety pins open and things get dropped. No, not just on the floor, but in a patient's opened body!

Any questions, or post requests regarding surgical scrubbing, please let me know! 

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xx, mindey

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Hello fellow medical peeps!

No I haven't not abandoned you, nor have I been ignoring you either. I have micheivous classmates that want to get others into trouble. Although I am not stating patient info, or have I ever given out where I have been located let alone my school name and hospital I'm in. People are people and I want to graduated and NOT get into trouble for blogging. This doesn't not mean I having been blogging, this just means I haven't been posting. (Get it?) well I miss everyone and hope everything is going well! 

Fyi: I got my first needle prick today, not to panick, the needle never touched the patient, it was sterile.(thank god!!)Nevertheless I'm blogging about what happened and why it did happen. 

Graduation is July 8th, 2015.  Be on the look out, for publishings! 

Xx mindey

Serendipity Caps Review

EXTRA, EXTRA.. READ ALL ABOUT IT!

My newest surgical cap arrived last week from Serendipity Caps. I have had a week of wearing it, washing it, and wearing it again and have finally come to make this review!

The surgical cap is light but not made of cheap fabric (100% cotton and pre-washed to prevent shrinkage). Serendipity makes surgical caps with various fabric designs that can let you express yourself in a classy, preppy way! The packaging was the absolute cutest! It comes in a little pouch for you to throw in your laundry. S.C. also gives you a cute note with washing instructions. If you want nice compliments all day be sure to purchase these! These caps are not only cute but they come in a low price (less than $10).  As you all know, I'm a student! I'm not made out of money! 

Start your SURGICAL CAP COLLECTION with Serendipity Caps!

Follow her instagram : CLICK HERE!

ESTY :   CLICK HERE!

**Disclaimer : I was given this cap from Serendipity Caps, this review is based off my opinions only. Thank you!

xx, mindey
Don't forget to follow us on instagram - @twoshorgirls

what's in my bag

Longchamp
Le Pliage Edition

I love my Longchamp for oh-so-many reasons: it looks good, the color goes with everything (that I wear,) it's comfortable to carry, and it fits SO MUCH CRAP. I like to call it my Mary Poppins bag. You never know what you're gonna grab a hold of when you stick your hand in! (That's what she said??) Mindey and I were hanging out the other day and she caught a glimpse of the inside, "Damn you got a lot of stuff in here!" No Mindey, I'm prepared! Zombie apocalypse? Psshhh I have everything essential that I'll need - or that's what I like to tell myself.

Now I'm going to warn you, this is a long post of pictures of random girly crap. Some of you may like these kind of posts, some of you may not. I know I'm always interested to see what someone carries in their bag, especially if it's a big ol' thing.

So I hope all you lovely people enjoy!
---

Michael Kors wallet

This wallet literally holds EVERYTHING. I love it!

Sugar Paper planner

I'm OBSESSED with my planner. Enough said.

iPad mini

I don't know how I got through life before
owning an iPad mini.

Victoria's Secret bag for pens

I have SO many pens that I've collected. Perfect little
case for all of them!

Eos chapstick & Lush lip scrub

These two go with me EVERYWHERE.

Women's Health & Cosmopolitan

Typically I'm not one to keep magazines in my bag but this
past week my boyfriend was in the hospital and I needed
some reading material while hanging out at the hospital.

Mac Studio Fix powder foundation

I typically use the Studio Fix liquid foundation so

throughout the day when I tend to get oily around

my t-zone, this powder is the bomb dot come when it
comes to handling that situation!

PINK "Ready to Party" body mist

What I love about this scent is that it's not too overwhelming.
It's perfect to spray on after a day at the kennel.

Eos hand lotion

I love this little Eos lotion. I wash my hands a lot
throughout the day at work so they tend to get super
dry - this is the perfect fix for that!

Small Betsey Johnson bag for Washi tape

I have a serious Washi tape problem. It's so bad that
I had to use this bag to put them all in. I haven't even
used half of them but I CAN'T STOP BUYING THEM.

Maybelline Color Sensational lipstick in "Lust for Blush"

I love Maybelline's matte formula. This is the perfect pink 

shade for ANYONE. It's always nice to have just in case.

Too Faced "Better Than Sex" mascara

Because it's better than sex, duh.

My car keys

I've been driving Colton's car this past week so these have
taken up residence in my bag. Typically they're hanging
on a cute little hook by our front door.

Kashi granola bar

Yo girls gotta eat!

Colton's bracelets

Like I mentioned above, my boyfriend has been in the
hospital this past week so the night he got admitted,
these got thrown into my bag while in the ER.

iPhone/iPad charger

My electronic devices die so fast. Cannot be without this!

Annddd of course I have the random array of trash: receipts, old mail, food wrappers, and god knows what else. My bags a mess. My life's a mess. But whose isn't?!

***

xx, brit

Don't forget to follow us on instagram - @twoshortgirls

HEY!

LET US KNOW

***

Good morning to our beautiful followers! This is just a quick post to ask you, the follower:

What are you interested in seeing/reading about on our blog? We like to consider ourselves a lifestyle blog so we can blog about all sorts of things that interest us AND you. So let us know! What do you want to see more of? This blog is not only a place for us to express our interests (make-up, clothes, etc.) and share our routines through school/work but also a place for YOU to get lost in our words.

***

xx, brit & mindey

Don't forget to follow us on instagram - @twoshortgirls

What Not to forget in the sterile field - Mindey's version

Yes, you need to know what surgery you have, make sure your goggles are on, shoe covers, etc. I'm talking about the stuff you may not really think about. Things I've heard from classmates or stories my preceptors have told me. The following are my top 5!

1) You do NOT know! In fact, you don't know it at all. If you did, you wouldn't be a student, right? DO NOT let these haunting words (...oh, I know) slip out of your mouth! (if it does, recuperate at all costs)

2) Have a list of questions you have already written down for the doctor (They like it when they get good questions and might open up better for you.)

I typically ask:

                        What was this patient's diagnosis?

                        How long is recovery after the procedure? Etc.

3) READ the BOARD. This might sound unnecessary to tell you, but when you scrub and put two pairs of latex gloves and open instruments and have everything ready in a neat pile, JUST TO KNOW YOUR PATIENT HAS A LATEX ALLERGY! YUP! That whole setup and instruments you laid out is aallllll to waste. And yes, you will feel 2 feet tall when you tell your doctor.

4) Be EXTRA EXTRA careful with sharps. Last thing on your mind. Passing suture, cutting suture, and counting with the circulator, it can make you work up a sweat. PLEASE be EXTRA careful with this. You might think, "that will never happen to me." Think again. And the process that comes with it, lets just say SLOW DOWN when you're anywhere near sharps. EYE contact with your sharps when you're around them. And be afraid of them. YOU HAVE THE CONTROL, take it!

5) INTRODUCE YOURSELF ESPECIALLY to the surgeon. Yes, I know it's intimidating and YES I know they may forget your name the same second you tell them, and they may also look at you as if "ain't nobody go time for that", but it is a MUST. And hey, you have the mask on when you take it off its like you have an alter ego. They wont ever know who you are if you make a mistake.

Don't forget to SPEAK UP! This is what I say out loud to the doctor in one breath -- "Good morning Dr. ___ my name is _____ and i'm the surgical tech student for this case, I hope that's alright."

Disclaimer - these are my opinions and advice as a student in the Surgical Tech world. Always follow hospital policy where ever you may go! :)

***

Thank you all for your amazingly good feed back! Hope this helps!

Good luck!

xx, Mindey
Don't forget to follow us on instagram - @twoshortgirls

Things That No One Tells You About Being A Kennel Tech

"Oh my gosh, your job is so cool! I wish I could play with puppies all day! You must love it!"

Secretly, I roll my eyes. This is the typical response you receive from animal lovers after announcing what your job is. People envision us snuggling puppies all day and getting to wear really comfy scrubs. Do we get to do that? Of course. But there is so much more to being a kennel tech than playing with dogs all day.

When you're a kennel tech/working at a dog boarding facility, you will:

      * Become covered in every disgusting bodily fluid you can imagine.

Blood, urine, vomit, saliva, anal glands, and diarrhea are the bodily fluids most technicians navigate through on a daily basis. On a typical morning at the kennel, you'll come in to about half the dogs having peed or took a giant shit in their "rooms" throughout the night. Sometimes, they even manage to get it on themselves and the walls. It's impossible to clean it all up without getting at least some of it on you. Those are always the fun days. Word of advice: don't wear your favorite Nike Free Runs. Then throughout the day, you'll deal with owners handing their dogs over to you and said dog peeing out of excitement/being scared of you, big guys shaking their heads and drenching you in their slobber, etc. No matter what, you're going home covered in some sort of shit..literally.

      * Become very good at wrestling.

Our "guests" are not always the most well-behaved. Every dog that walks through the door has not heard of obedience school and sometimes these dogs weigh way more than twice the size of you and want to eat your face. Therefore, you become an expert at manipulating your body to deal with them.

      * Wear battle scars.

Being a technician, in some ways, is dangerous. Your "guests" have teeth. Some have long/sharp nails and some of them are huge and don't know their own strength. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't come home with bruises and scratch marks all over my arms, legs or back.

      * Learn to swear like a sailor.

Technicians swear. Like sailors. It's our second language, maybe only second to sarcasm. It's what keeps us sane and helps us from wanting to kill the dog that just shit in it's kennel right after you brought him inside. Now, I wish I could say this was something that developed with the job, but in all honesty this is something that's been a part of me since...well, I can remember. But working in this environment has made me realize that all us kennel girls are the same.

      * Make assumptions based on breed.

You will learn breed tendencies and will start making assumptions based on breeds. Maybe it's not always right and sometimes you end up pleasantly surprised, but it helps to keep you safe. For example, Terriers, Chow Chow, Akitas, and Chihuahuas are more than likely going to try and bite you. Pit bulls, Labs, and Golden Retrievers will let you cuddle the shit out of them all day. Beagles and Huskies are dramatic and yell the second you try and touch them. And Bull Dogs are rarely neutered. Because for some reason, people think they are tough and need to retain their manliness.

      * Deal with dog aggression.

The most common reason for aggression is fear, but occasionally other factors contribute to aggression. With that being said, sometimes you have to deal with dogs that want to "kill" each other. Or dogs that may want to "kill" you. It always makes it very fun when it comes to potty time.

      * Learn that scrubs show a lot of ass-crack.

Scrubs are comfortable as hell but not very flattering. They give you no shape, your pants slip down, and pretty much everyone's ass-crack shows when you bend over. And you bend over a lot. So you become very cozy with your co-workers cracks. But hey, that's just part of the experience.

      * Be overworked and underpaid.

The job is not only physically exhausting, but mentally exhausting as well. Technicians work long hours, often receive little thanks, and really do not make that much money.

      * Work with humans. 

A lot of people think that becoming a technician means you get to avoid working with people and just spend the day with animals. The truth is, you still have to interact with people when they drop and pick up their dogs. Sometimes they're pleasant, sometimes they're not.

      * Love your job anyway.

With all the challenges that being a kennel tech provides, it is also can be very rewarding. To some, I may only be babysitting dogs while their family is away but to me, I'm making sure they're comfortable while they're in a temporary unfamiliar environment. I literally try to make it a vacation for them so when they come back, they want to and are excited. There is no better feeling then seeing a dog come back for a visit and he is wagging his tail and leaving his owner in the dust. And at the end of the day, I am working with dogs. There's a reason I work where I do and am going to school for become a Vet Tech - I love them!

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Are you a technician with anything to add? What are some of the things you wish people knew about your job? 

xx, brit

Don't forget to follow us on instagram - @twoshortgirls