scrub in

present singular third person scrubs in · participle present scrubbing in · participle past scrubbed in · past scrubbed in

1. governmentTo thoroughly wash one's hands and forearms in preparation for performing a surgery.

   Members of the transplant team scrub in and go about their respective duties.

   2008 August 18, Lee G. Bolman with Terrence E. Deal, Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice and Leadership, 4th edition, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, →ISBN, →OL, page 99

   2 more examples

   There were no booties to wear over their shoes, and they wore scrub caps on their heads only if they were going to scrub in for a procedure. When you scrubbed in for surgery you couldn't touch anything after you finished scrubbing.

   2007 September 11, Mary Lou Parks, "O Lord Have Mercy!": Finding Our Way As Student Nurses in the 1950s, Dog Ear Publishing, →ISBN, →OL, page 83

   When we were assigned to a surgical patient, we were expected to “scrub in” on his or her patients’ surgery when it occurred. […] To “scrub in” on a case meant one was to be part of the operating team, which might consist of one or two advanced residents and a second year resident or intern or two.

   2009 August 26, Thomas F. Sellers, Jr., What's Up, Doc?: A Lifetime in Medicine: 1946-1990, Bloomington: iUniverse, →ISBN, →OL, page 43

   Synonyms: scrub up

2. hobbiesTo break in new racing tires by doing a few gentle laps on them, with the resulting heat serving to remove factory coatings and provide better grip.

   Synonyms: scrub, scuff