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Nursing

Operating Room Nurses

Also known as surgical nurses, are in charge of patients scheduled for surgery.Operating room (OR) nurses are specialized registered nurses (RN) and, depending on the situation, may act as scrub nurses or circulating nurses in children cancer hospital. Scrub nurses handle surgical instruments to the surgeon, while circulating nurses oversee nursing care during the procedure and ensure the operating room remains sterile. An Operating Room nurse also acts a liaison between the patient, the patient’s relatives and the medical team.

A good operating room nurse should have the same skills and traits as other RNs. certain skills are even more important than others in this environment, including the following:

As an operating room nurse, it is imperative to be very organized when it comes to charting and highly competent in organizing supplies and actions to ensure the best possible outcome throughout any surgery. Moreover, operating room nurses must be able to find any surgical items and medications quickly, as the most routine surgical procedures can unexpectedly become more complex and require quick and advanced intervention. As such, she should be extremely organized, attentive to details, and be able to work in a dynamic team as well as excellent problem solver, capable and confident in making critical decisions.

Operating room nurse uses a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to patient care, assisting surgeons and surgical teams to care for a patient before, during, and after surgery.

Before Surgery

The OR nurse’s duties begin way before the start of the operation. S/He ensures the operating room is clean and ready to be set up, prepares the instruments as well as equipment needed for the surgery. S/He counts all sponges, instruments, needles and other tools and preserves the sterile environment by “scrubbing in,” moreover she/ he preserves wear surgical sterile attires, including a gown, gloves and facemask. When the surgeon arrives, the nurse assist her/him in gowning  and gloving before preparing the patient for surgery.

During Surgery

During the, surgical procedure one of the scrub nurse’s primary duties is selecting and passing instruments to the surgeon. The scrub nurse’s role here is supporting the surgeon while also maintaining patient safety. The nurse must know which instruments and supplies are used for specific procedures and when they are needed, so s/he can quickly handle them to the surgeon.

After Surgery

Before the closure of the surgical cavity, in the OR the scrub nurse with circulating nurse make a count for all items used in procedure including instruments, sponges and other tools they inform the surgeon with the result of count the count. She applies surgical dressing and transports the patient to the recovery areas. He also completes any necessary documentation regarding the surgery or the patient's transfer to recovery.