The Basic Duties of Operating Room Nurses

Summary: The role of the operating room nurse is extremely important. They are the captain of the ship or operating room in this case. Hopefully this help you understand and may entice you to explore this as a career goal.

The operating nurses or the other name is perioperative nurses have the responsible in planning, directing, and coordinating the operating room's activities. They provide the care for the undergoing surgery patients. Because of their job, the operating nurses must be registered nurses.

Surgical procedures and take care special equipment

Another job for them is to control all the surgical procedures and the special equipment for the daily surgical or if there are emergency situations. If you work in this profession, you will need to face with other hospital units to fill your patient's need. You will also work with the patient's families and the other health cares.

The job of the operating room nurse is divided into three parts. They are the pre-operative, the surgery, and the post-operative. In the operative part, the nurses usually tell the patient and the family members related to the surgical procedures. After that, they need to apply the medication including the anesthesia and get the patient ready. They also need to make sure that the operating tools are sterile and ready for the surgery. In the surgery stage, they will assist the surgeon to do the surgery. They also need to assist the patient to recover in the post-operative stage.

Operating room nurses Fairfax Virginia do not only work in the operating room. Since they have large work field, they may also work as the scrub or circulating nurse. They may also become the RN first assistant. Many of them later become the management consultant, clinical educator, researcher, or medical sales professional. If they have more advanced education and training, they may also become the nurse anesthetist.

The work field of the perioperative nurses mostly is in the hospital surgical departments. However, they may also work day surgery unit or ambulatory surgery, clinics and the physician's offices. It can be said that needs many nurses nowadays since the aging population and the rising health care costs.

Paperwork that lists all supplies, instruments, equipment, hints for setting up the room

Next you need to go to your assigned room and check to see if your case cart is there. This cart contains all the supplies and instruments required for the surgery and usually contains the preference card. The preference card is paperwork that lists all supplies, instruments, equipment, hints for setting up the room, and any surgeon specific preferences. This card also alerts you to what is to be opened for the surgery and what you should have available should the need arise for its use. Depending on the size of the facility and assigned staff duties, this may be your responsibility. I have worked in OR's that have staff dedicated to pick the supplies and instruments and delivering them to the room in the morning. Sometimes it was my responsibility, or the surgical tech's, or the set up staff. Ultimately, though, it is the nurses responsibility to make sure everything needed is in the room.

Equipment to make sure it is all functioning properly

Then you and the surgical tech will open all the necessary supplies and instruments in a sterile manner and ensure that sterility is maintained. During your perioperative training, you will learn how to properly open packaging and instrument containers and check for sterility. Once all supplies are open, the surgical tech will go to do their hand scrub and return to the room to set up these things in an organized fashion. While they are setting up, you can check your equipment to make sure it is all functioning properly. I usually also use this time to go and interview the patient, and tell the surgical tech that I will return to perform the surgical count.

Standard of care for most surgery performed

Surgical first assists Prince William Virginia will usually be in a pre-operative holding area. This area is staff with nurses that perform duties to prepare the patient for their surgery. Once again, it is your responsibility to ensure all pre-operative orders have been carried out. Read over the surgeon's orders. Check the order for consent against the consent that was obtained and the scheduled procedure to ensure they all match. Check over lab work to make sure it is done, on the chart, and within normal limits. A standard of care for most surgery performed is giving a prophylactic antibiotic prior to surgical incision. The hospital should have a program in place to ensure this done appropriately and it is the surgical nurse's responsibility to ensure the proper antibiotic is available and ready to be given.

Immediately address and correct any breaks

Now you can accurately document all patient care rendered up to this point. Monitor sterile surgical field to ensure that sterility is maintained. Immediately address and correct any breaks in sterile technique. Dispense any required additional supplies to sterile field. Organize and supplies coming off sterile to ensure ready for final counts. When surgery is nearing completion start counting necessary supplies and instruments to ensure nothing is retained in patient. Report count completion to surgeon, also if there is family in waiting area that needs to be spoken too. Dispense supplies to sterile field to dress incision. Make sure surgical tech cleans the patient prior to moving them to stretcher or bed.