Cback & Troll, It was some time ago but I did a lot of work with an ENT friend in California, in Lompoc. The local Anesthesia guru was a bit testy, not unlike the nurses mentioned, so I m mostly scrubbed in and held retractors, ran the bovie, etc. In Mississippi our case load was really low, & I would do a few cases at the two local hospitals, and some OB work out Starkville way. In the late 80,s did quite a bit at the local Gen. Hosp in Dover, De. That was a level 2 trauma place at the time and worked out pretty well.
Nurses are usually, predictably, the easiest to run afoul of, the weaker nurses I should say. The game plan is a passive aggressive response to turf they think they own. Just be the professional & hold the high ground, you own it and they don't like it much. For the most part though, nurses are pretty good folk. They have a lot of clinical experience and can make clinical rotations easier, don't sell them short wholesale.
Be well Gents!
Jim