Questions about Orthopedic OR nursing

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jul 18, 2012

Hi Yohan-

In the US, surgical nurses typically don't recover their pts-recovery room nurses do this. Sometimes if a nurse works in a surgical center (apart from a major hospital, such as a university hospital), nurses can be expected to both circulate AND recover patients.

It really depends on where you work. I work at a university hospital, and when I was on the orthopedic team, I worked exclusively in the OR. For example, if I had a patient that came in to my OR and had a hip replacement surgery, I greeted the patient in pre-op, prepared the room, stayed with the patient in the OR and provided nursing care during their surgery. When the surgery was finished, the recovery room nurse took report from the anesthesia care provider and then resumed care. I then was tasked with getting my next surgical patient ready for surgery.

Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have any other questions or need clarification on any of my statements.

Be proud of yourself!

Canes

Yohanesteban · Jul 28, 2012

Hi Yohan-
In the US, surgical nurses typically don't recover their pts-recovery room nurses do this. Sometimes if a nurse works in a surgical center (apart from a major hospital, such as a university hospital), nurses can be expected to both circulate AND recover patients.
It really depends on where you work. I work at a university hospital, and when I was on the orthopedic team, I worked exclusively in the OR. For example, if I had a patient that came in to my OR and had a hip replacement surgery, I greeted the patient in pre-op, prepared the room, stayed with the patient in the OR and provided nursing care during their surgery. When the surgery was finished, the recovery room nurse took report from the anesthesia care provider and then resumed care. I then was tasked with getting my next surgical patient ready for surgery.
Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have any other questions or need clarification on any of my statements.
Be proud of yourself!
Canes

Hi, let me explain to you how it work here or how my work is, when the patient is un the operating room and the rest of the staff of surgery I'm coming with my performance in the surgery, for example if a hip replacement surgery it's performance I work with the doctors and the team, basically I explain to the rest of the team how it work the new hip protests, I don't know if you understand me, I have curios about this cause in USA exist the surgical tech and I really want to know wich is the difference between a RN an a surgical tech, I'm a bachelor degree here in my country and right now I'm in the CES of CGFNS waiting for my ATT, please tell me about it! Thanks in advance

canesdukegirl, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2012

Good morning Yohan! It's good to hear from you.

I know that it must have been incredibly difficult to translate in your mind and then try to write in English. I do understand you and have some answers for you.

In the US, surgical techs focus on setting up the instruments for the case, and assist the surgeons during surgery. They cannot assess, they cannot administer medications, they cannot take doctors orders, they cannot coordinate post op care for the patient. Their main role is to assist the surgeons in the sterile field.

The RN must coordinate all of those things. It's kind of like being the quarterback in American football, or the offensive midfielder in soccer. Just like a quarterback coordinates plays with his team mates, the RN does the same thing by coordinating pre-op care, ensuring correct documentation, gathering needed supplies, delivering to the field in a sterile fashion, monitoring staff for breaks in sterility, carrying out doctors orders, and communicating with the post-op nurse prior to the patient leaving the OR. You still have to take orders from the coach, because he runs the show, just like you have to take orders from the surgeon.

You as the RN are responsible for a number of things involving many different areas, like pre-op, intra-op, post-op, implants, pharmacy, critical care (if warranted), blood transfusions, etc.

Does that make sense? Where in South America are you located? Tell me about your hospital and what the work flow is like there.

I have gone on a few mission trips to Nicaragua, and the practice is VERY different there. The anesthesia techs were the ones that induced, not the anesthesiologist. That surprised me. They did not have surgical techs there, either. Just RNs, so I can see why you are confused about the different roles here in America.

Yohanesteban · Aug 2, 2012

Good morning Yohan! It's good to hear from you.
I know that it must have been incredibly difficult to translate in your mind and then try to write in English. I do understand you and have some answers for you.
In the US, surgical techs focus on setting up the instruments for the case, and assist the surgeons during surgery. They cannot assess, they cannot administer medications, they cannot take doctors orders, they cannot coordinate post op care for the patient. Their main role is to assist the surgeons in the sterile field.
The RN must coordinate all of those things. It's kind of like being the quarterback in American football, or the offensive midfielder in soccer. Just like a quarterback coordinates plays with his team mates, the RN does the same thing by coordinating pre-op care, ensuring correct documentation, gathering needed supplies, delivering to the field in a sterile fashion, monitoring staff for breaks in sterility, carrying out doctors orders, and communicating with the post-op nurse prior to the patient leaving the OR. You still have to take orders from the coach, because he runs the show, just like you have to take orders from the surgeon.
You as the RN are responsible for a number of things involving many different areas, like pre-op, intra-op, post-op, implants, pharmacy, critical care (if warranted), blood transfusions, etc.
Does that make sense? Where in South America are you located? Tell me about your hospital and what the work flow is like there.
I have gone on a few mission trips to Nicaragua, and the practice is VERY different there. The anesthesia techs were the ones that induced, not the anesthesiologist. That surprised me. They did not have surgical techs there, either. Just RNs, so I can see why you are confused about the different roles here in America.

Hi again, yeah I'm from Venezuela and here the thing it's a little quite different i mean so much different the bachelor degree her it's just like a RN there, but here in my country we do almost everything and almost nothing, let me explain.... In the OR we do everything help the surgeon on the surgery field with the instruments and staff, we performance 3 roles that we named it anesthesiologist tech helping doctors to induce the anesthesia and the surgical tech assistance which basically it's the 3th hand of the surgical tech ( RN) and coordinated the area as well.... And what I mean when I said that we don't do almost anything, cause we dont coordinated the OR, we don't diagnose any patient, the nursing program, the tasks here in Venezuela for us are very limited it! Not by the law... The truth is that the doctors, phisishian they believe themselves gods and they don't allow to the nursing staff to do so much task and duties that belong to us... Here the public health system it doesn't work, that's why I work in a private hospital where the owners all of them are doctors! That's ones of the principals reason that I want to go to USA to become a registered nurse! I'm in the CES process! I hope everything goes ok! Thanks for you time and sorry for mistakes hehe! We will in touch