Is there a better time of year to get sick or need surgery? One nurse seems to think so.
In a video shared to TikTok, a nurse named Asha (@ashahotcakes) calls on people to avoid hospitals if at all possible during the month of July.
Her reason? Newbies in the surgical unit could be causing more harm than good in their mission to provide health care. In her experience as a nurse, she says she has observed increases in needed surgical revisions in July to correct the work of surgical residents who are new to the job.
Should you get surgery in July?
“Don’t ever get surgery in July, coming from a nurse,” she says in the video. “Do not go to the hospital in July. July is when all the new residents start their surgical rotation. July is also when we have the most surgical revisions, meaning they have to go back and fix all the things they messed up in surgery because of the residents. In July, every order is wrong. Every medication is wrong. Every surgery goes wrong. I get it. They have to practice; they have to learn; they’re going to mess up. Not on me, though. Every year, someone suddenly goes, ‘Why is everything so messed up lately?’ and someone else goes, ‘It’s July.’ Every year, without fail, July, everything goes to [expletive].”
She then encourages surgical residents to take their time learning before scrubbing in for surgery to reduce the number of complications and issues for patients and fellow hospital staff.
“If you’re a surgical resident, I don’t know what they’re teaching y’all; y’all are not ready in July,” she says. “You’re not [expletive] ready. I get that the whole program is, like, scatterbrained and [expletive], but take your time, please. I work in radiology. Every order is wrong. You can’t even put in orders right. Y’all are not ready to start in July. Maybe shadow until, like, September. Try that.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Asha via TikTok direct message as well as a comment on the video.
A spike in fatalities at teaching hospitals
Asha’s observations are not unfounded. Per a 2011 ABC News report, fatalities at teaching hospitals spike 10% in the month of July, when many new surgical residents will scrub in for surgery for the first time.
Patients may be asked to bring their own prescriptions to the hospital, if possible, and to choose another hospital entirely if they find their closest one has a high infection rate.
Some viewers recommended avoiding teaching hospitals and residents altogether at this time.
“Or find a non-teaching hospital,” one commenter wrote.
“ALWAYS ask what role will the resident play in my procedure or surgery and/or say I want NO resident involved in my care,” another commenter wrote. “July is the WORST.”
“They will not practice on you without your permission!” a commenter wrote. “They always ask my mom first. You can literally say No.”
@ashahotcakes sincerely, a tired ass nurse.
♬ original sound – ❤️🔥 asha ❤️🔥
Other viewers who said they work in health care shared their own takes on the claims made by Asha about surgical residents.
“This is so misleading the order thing is true but the surgery one?” one commenter wrote. “No intern resident is ever allowed to be near a scalpel.”
“LOL I’m a nurse and was just talking about this with the Dr today at work,” another commenter wrote.
“I work in a hospital and my job has been super frustrating lately,” a commenter wrote.
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