Surgical Tech Career Rut?
Your Career "Wave" & Cutting Edge Surgical Inventions
Are you stuck in a surgical tech rut?
Do you find yourself struggling with your surgical tech career?
Are you having a hard time finding a job as a surgical tech in the O.R.?
Do you feel that "burnout" mode slowly approaching as an ST?
Well, chances are, if you're a new grad or an experienced surgical tech veteran, you probably answered yes to at least one of those questions.
AND it seems the most popular question I receive an overwhelming YES to is:
"Are you stuck in a surgical tech rut?"...
You see, in this career field, there are what I've termed: "Plateau Moments of Excitement".
What do I mean by this?
Well, nearly anything new in our careers, and even in our lives for that matter, has what I like to refer to as a "Plateau Wave".
And while we're riding this plateau wave, there are moments of excitement that we'd like to maintain or at least be able to duplicate.
Very often, the inevitable part of these plateau waves is basically the end or weakening of the ride.
Yep, at some point the momentum slows, and that moment of excitement starts to dwindle & the wave eventually gets smaller & smaller, weakening with every passing day, eventually turning into a career rut.
SAD but TRUE!
This happens, at some point, to one degree or another to every single working professional out there.
SO..., what do we do???
I'm glad you asked!
You see, every single working professional out there goes through highs & lows of career happiness (or "waves") at one time or another.
The big difference between the people who get stuck in the lows (ruts) and everyday repetition of the same old thing, and the individuals who remain motivated in the same field year after year is simply a matter of looking forward & forward thinking.
It's really just as simple as that.
Looking forward towards opportunities and forward thinking about being successful.
Let me give you an example of what I'm talking about.
As many of you know, I'm one of your biggest supporters in the surgical tech world.
I strive to provide you with tips for career success, advancement, and career motivation, along with the resources and tools to help you along the way.
I'm also a surgical tech entrepreneur who has used my surgical tech education & experience to branch out and look for advanced career opportunities based on my experience and knowledge of surgery.
Although my professional life is going absolutely great, there are always those moments when I find my "career plateau wave" start to weaken and I have to find a way to strengthen it and continue the ride; that is, to continue moving forward.
During those moments when I find things starting to slow down, I simply look for a way to increase my productivity by adding a new element to my surgical tech business, or developing myself as a better surgical tech educator, or learning about a new product on the market & finding a way to promote it, and also by finding new surgically related partnerships.
And here's a little secret; Because I keep an open mind and a positive attitude, you'd be amazed how "new products" & opportunities tend to find me.
That's right!
I think forward, look forward towards new opportunities & partnerships, and they often come knocking at my door.
Let me give you another great example based on my own personal experience.
Recently I discovered a new product that is on the cutting edge of surgical inventions.
You see, over the last couple of weeks I was in the Ann Arbor Michigan area for a couple of days doing a little professional educational training with a top orthopedic spine surgeon & a top spinal implant sales rep.
Now when I say these guys are the top in the spine world, I'm not just "blowing smoke".
I've been around the surgical block a few times over the last couple of decades and I've seen a lot of spine surgeries.
The case I was privy to with this surgeon & his rep was one of the most perfectly executed text book spine procedures I have ever seen.
Although the case was flawless, that is not what really struck me about this surgeon or the spine rep.
You see, although Dr Falahee of the Ann Arbor Spine Center at Michigan Brain and Spine Institute is one of the top surgeons in his field, he is also an inventor of spinal implants & instruments.
His spine rep, Todd Ammon, is also active in the implant & surgical world and they have both recently teamed up to produce, market, & promote a great new self-retaining Spinous Process Spreader that Dr Falahee invented.
You are among the first in the world to actually see this new & innovative spinous process spreader as it has not yet fully launched.
I will be doing a full feature on this new device very soon. But if you feel as though you're spine surgeons would like more info, contact me & I'll get you all of the specs.
____________________
Spinous Process Spreader
Created by Dr Mark Falahee
Todd Ammon, VP Sales & Marketing
Medical Design Instruments, LLC.
____________________
Ok, ok...I know what you're thinking, a surgeon, a sales rep, a new retractor... WHAT's the point?
You see, my point in all of this is to simply give you an example of forward thinkers who could very easily get stuck in a rut doing the same thing day in & day out, but instead they choose to innovate, create, motivate, and continue to move forward.
Hmmm, NOW you might be thinking.. a top surgeon & top sales rep....these guys don't get stuck in the same kind of ruts that you do because they are probably rich and successful.
Well, let me let you in on a little secret... surgeons & sales reps in the O.R. are just as human as you are and they are subject to the same kinds of professional & career ruts as anybody out there.
Listen to me my friends, whether you're a world renowned surgeon creating new & exciting inventions to enhance patient care & the surgical community, or a sales rep doing the research and leg work to get a new product to market, or a surgical tech putting in the time required to become an expert in your chosen specialty, your success and the excitement of that career plateau wave is just one forward thought or creative idea away from keeping you moving in the direction you are destined to move ---> to the TOP!
Don't let the feelings of a career rut or perceived lack of opportunity prevent you from being the best you are meant to be.
Look around you & realize that with an education in surgical technology there is opportunity and room for advancement everywhere!!!
We all have the capacity to think forward, look for opportunities, and move towards our goals of success & happiness.
If you find yourself in any kind of professional rut and it feels like your career wave is weakening, step back for a moment, look at where you are & where you want to be, then take a step in that direction and continue to ride that success wave forward.
Your career is only as strong as the wind YOU create to keep it going.
Dwell on the rut and watch that rut get deeper...
Dwell on success, look for opportunities, utilize the surgical education & experience you possess, and watch that wave continue to flow.
I pray for all the success for you as I do for myself.
Until next time~
Your friend,
Robert Prince, CST
