Needing Clarification

"I am confused...can you help me?"

Q: 

Dear Masked Maven,

My preceptor instructs me to avoid reaching over the sterile field, but then he reaches over the sterile field, too. I am confused. Can you help me?

Sincerely,

Needing Clarification

A: 

Dear Needing Clarification,

I can see how you would feel confused and frustrated. I know you are new, but it is perfectly ok to say to your preceptor, “I noticed that you just reached over the sterile field to get that item. Can you tell me why it was okay in this situation?” This will help steer the conversation to what you were taught in class.

It also should result in a review of the AORN “Guideline for sterile technique.” This guideline says:

• “Deliver items to the sterile field in a manner that prevents unsterile objects or unscrubbed team members from leaning over the sterile field.”
• “Move within or around a sterile field in a manner that prevents contamination of the sterile field.”
• “Unscrubbed team members should face the sterile field on approach, not walk between sterile fields or scrubbed persons, and not reach over an uncovered sterile field.”¹
  

During your conversation with your preceptor, be sure that you ask clarifying questions to ensure you understand what he is telling you. If your preceptor doesn’t explain it well for you or doesn’t seem to want to discuss it, seek out your unit educator, clinical supervisors, or your Periop 101 instructor. Preceptors can be good at showing you how to do things, but not so good at explaining things. We all have our strengths and weaknesses; therefore, we all need to utilize various resources to get the information and understanding that we need.

 It is important, though, that you always speak up if you think there is a break in sterile technique. Even in training, you are the patient’s advocate and should always be observant for breaks in sterile technique by anyone in the room.

All the best,

Masked Maven

If you have a question for the Masked Maven, you can submit it at https://forms.office.com/r/CdtjMpm9nB.

AORN Resources

AORN members can access:

• AORN Clinical FAQs: Sterile Technique
• Back to Basics 2.0: Sterile Technique - AORN Journal
• Guideline Implementation: Sterile Technique - AORN Journal
• Preventing inadvertent contamination of the sterile field during draping - AORN Journal

If your facility subscribes to eGuidelines+, you can access:

• Sterile Technique Guideline | AORN eGuidelines+
• Aseptic Technique at a Glance | AORN eGuidelines+