Baby steps

Hey all, believe it or not, this is the first day that I have been in the OT (Operating Theater...aka OR) since arriving in Afghanistan. My patient is an ANA soldier with Femur, TibFib, and Ankle Fx. They (ANA Docs) have been sitting on this gut for days, and finally decided to operate on him today. I'm not going to go into ANY detail about this procedure. Lets just say that as THE OR mentor...I HAVE MY WORK CUT OUT FOR ME!!!!! My teachings will be starting with the very basics i.e. aseptic technique. During the entire procedure, I had to keep reminding myself where I was, and why I was there. I literally have Two pages of notes (front and back) of subjects that need to be addressed. One of my plans is to have a mock surgery (with my team) to demonstrate how "it should be done". My interpreter believes that is a good start because they will understand better by watching rather than verbal explanation via translation. Patient positioning, prepping, and draping is all I plan to cover during our first demonstration. I can hear the mentor that I replaced in my head....baby steps mike...baby steps