Perioperative & surgical nursing is a specialty focused on providing direct care to patients before (preoperative), during (intraoperative) and immediately following (postoperative) a surgical procedure.
What do perioperative and surgical nurses do?
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- Before surgery, nurses obtain a medical history, assess laboratory tests, prep the patient for surgery, and educate the patient and family on the procedure to be performed.
- Scrub nurses work within the operating room preparing and sterilizing instruments, providing tools needed during the procedure and assisting with other tasks.
- Circulating nurses manage the overall operating room to ensure the environment is safe and remains sterile.
- Registered nurse first assistants may suture cuts, control and monitor bleeding, and perform other complex duties.
- Post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) nurses manage patients in the immediate postoperative period. They assess for infection, shock, bleeding and other complications, manage pain, change wound dressings, and provide discharge teaching to the patient and family.
Where do perioperative and surgical nurses work?
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Perioperative and surgical nurses may work in a variety of settings including hospital surgical departments, ambulatory surgery units, outpatient clinics or physician offices and may focus on a subspecialty such as cardiac surgery, trauma, pediatrics, oncology, plastic and reconstructive, urology and neurosurgery.
What do perioperative and surgical nurses need to know?
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A profession in perioperative and surgical nursing requires:
- an understanding of normal anatomy and physiology.
- keen assessment and monitoring skills.
- vast knowledge of invasive procedures.
- ongoing education related to the management of patients undergoing surgery.
More perioperative and surgical nursing resources
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- Nursing Pocket Cards, including informed consent
- Guideline Summaries, including surgical site infection prevention
- Blog posts, with infographics, mnemonics, tips, and more
- Journals
- Articles and nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) activities
- Headlines and news stories
- Society partners
Use this Perioperative Nursing Certification Review Course to study for perioperative certification from the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI), which grants the credential Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR
®).