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HWN Suggests

The Hierarchy of Priority: Patient, People, & Paperwork

The operating room can be more than a little overwhelming at times. There’s a constant flurry of activity as the team prepares for and then performs surgical procedures. Every case seems to have equipment and supplies for days, there’s a million people, and every instruments has at least two different names, if not three. The chaos is enough to make a new person question their career choice. For those of us that are used to the chaos and busyness, we tend to use the word “dance” to describe everything that happens in the OR. All of us have our part to play, we perform our part while others perform theirs at the same time, and together we pull off a solid, flawless performance with each successful…

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Featured

 A Day In The Life Of An Operating Room Nurse: A Series Of Insights (1/4)

There is much mystery that surrounds the OR. This series aims to provide a glimpse into a typical day in the life of an operating room nurse. My goal is three parts: to satisfy the curiosity of those who would otherwise never know, highlight the difficult job and daily struggles OR nurses face, and provide nurses considering applying to the OR a realistic view of their day-to-day life.

 Historic Perioperative Nurses

The history of perioperative nursing begins with Florence Nightingale. Though she wasn’t technically an OR nurse, her groundbreaking work with the British military during the Crimean War in the mid-19th century laid the groundwork for modern nursing. Nightingale was an upper-class British woman who led a group of volunteer female nurses to the Crimea in 1854 to help care for British soldiers who were wounded during the fighting. The conditions were brutal as medicines were in short supply and hygiene was being neglected, resulting in mass infections and death.

 Real-World Advice for New O.R. Nurses

I distinctly remember my first day in the O.R. Even now, when I think back on it, I still remember feeling excited and amazed, yet also overwhelmed and scared to death. Everything was so different than what I had always imagined the operating room to be! Catgut? You mean that’s a thing? Did you just call that a Big Ugly? And that’s a Mother-in-Law…right… Mosquitos? I thought those were insects. I’m supposed to call that a twirly-bird? For real? I think you’re lying… Army-Navy…why both branches? You can’t pick one? Alvarado – not the city, the knee positioner. Of course…

Articles of Interest

Dissecting the Critical Role of an Operating Room Nurse

Nurses are known for staying cool and collected under pressure, but RNs who work in the stressful environment of the operating room (OR) seem to have superhuman abilities to focus and be calm. Even routine surgeries can have complications and must be handled with precision and care. These operating room nurse jobs aren’t for the faint of heart! Despite the potentially stressful work environment, you could see yourself working in the OR—but you aren’t sure if you have what it takes. Being an operating room nurse isn’t as easy as handing the surgeon a scalpel like you’d see on TV!

Nursing perspective: Life as an OR nurse

Operating room nursing is for people who like working as a team, enjoy ritual, and like lots of detail, but overall, love to come to work to make a huge difference in their patient’s lives by mending a broken leg, removing a deadly cancer, repairing a failing heart, and much, much more.

Perioperative Nurse: The Journey Behind the “Authorized Personnel Only” Doors

Despite living in the technology age, where just about everything can be looked up with computer clicks, social media, drones, Alexa, and more, Intra-Operative Nursing remains a fascinating enigma. Not only to the common-folk world, but also to the nursing specialty world. What actually happens behind those “authorized personnel only” doors when a team of people roll or walk your loved one to the operating room? Your loved one comes out to the recovery room with their consented procedure completed and yet another team of perioperative nurses makes sure they wake up and are good to go to their respective places

Perioperative Nursing

Imagine being the guiding hand for patients at their most vulnerable moments, ensuring their journey through surgery is safe and successful. In perioperative nursing, understanding why surgery is performed—whether to cure, diagnose, prevent, enhance, repair, or relieve—empowers nurses to deliver exceptional care tailored to each unique situation. This profound knowledge not only shapes patient outcomes but also underscores the critical role of perioperative nurses in the intricate dance of surgical care.

Perioperative nursing: maintaining momentum and staying safe

Momentum in theatre nursing work provides a way of understanding the role. It must happen alongside the imperative to maintain the patient’s safety, requiring that a balance be struck between the two. Perioperative nurses experience tension in maintaining this balance. This understanding addresses a gap in the research about what theatre nurses do, and their views about what they do

Pros and Cons of Being an OR Nurse: A Comprehensive Guide

Operating Room (OR) nurses, also known as perioperative nurses, play a vital role in surgical settings, ensuring that surgeries are safe, efficient, and successful. They are responsible for preparing the operating room, assisting surgeons during procedures, and providing post-operative care. This specialized nursing role is distinct from other nursing positions due to its focus on surgical care.

The importance of the perioperative nurse

As surgeons, we are sometimes unaware of all that goes on in order to make the surgical experience smooth for the patient and surgeon. Much of this rests in the hands of the perioperative nurse - individuals who not only work with precision but also have the ability to think on their feet, act on core scientific principles, adapt to ever-changing circumstances and take the initiative to do what is necessary and right in each surgical situation.

The Truth About Bad Behavior in the OR

“Don’t take anything personally. Grow a thick skin and don’t let anyone see you cry. The OR is full of aggressive personalities. You need a backbone and don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself.”

Resources

12 Reasons Why I Love the Operating Room

We all know why, right? I came to the OR after working in Med-Surg, and while I did *periodically* have a wonderful, sweet, polite patient, more often than not they were demanding and rude. So it’s a nice change of pace to have patients that are asleep. I’m still committed to providing the best patient care that I can, I’m just free to do it without verbal abuse from the patient.

ACORN

Using evidence-based guidelines, AORN defines the standards that help keep healthcare workers and surgical patients safe – while also providing education and resources to support high-quality care.

First Case

For the people, processes, and products pushing the Operating Room forward.

The Circulating Life

O.R. Nursing with a dose of reality.

Operating Room Nurses’ Understanding of Their Roles and Responsibilities for Patient Care and Safety Measures in Intraoperative Practice

Surgical care has been a vital part of healthcare services worldwide. Several patient safety measures have been adopted universally in the operating room (OR) before, during, and following surgical procedures. Despite this, errors or near misses still occur. Nurses in the OR have a pivotal role in the identification of factors that may impact patient safety and quality of care. Therefore, exploring the OR nurses’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities for patient care and safety in the intraoperative practice, which could lead to optimal patient safety, is essential.