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Students can view surgery through the large glass window that separates the
observation room from the OR, but their gaze is usually fixed on the overhead
screens relaying video feeds from 2 cameras in the OR, 1 suspended over the
operative field and the other showing what the endoscopic camera sees. It's the
surgeon's view of surgery, complete with his play-by-play narration — surgeons
doing cases in the observation OR are miked-up — during the entire procedure.
"It's a living classroom," says Janet Shipman, Red Hill's director of educational
outreach. "It's a better view than anybody standing in the OR has."
The non-sterile observation room is physically separate from the operating
room, so no healthcare or background screenings are required. Rather than having to gown up, keep quiet and crane their necks to see what's going on from
the corner of the OR, high school, nursing and medical students are free to chat
and take notes in the observation room, even to ask questions of the surgeon
during the case via a 2-way audio system.
"You can really see into the field rather than standing in the back of the
room," says David Shapiro, MD, risk manager for Red Hills Surgical Center. "The
huge LCD screens in the small room really give you the feeling that you're
standing in the surgical suite. It's a great opportunity to provide a unique educational experience for people in the community and to spread the word about
surgery."
Since the observation room opened last fall, hundreds of healthcare students
have gotten a close-up view of surgery. "They leave and their jaws are literally
hanging down in amazement," says Ms. Shipman.
M A R C H 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
— Dan O'Connor
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