Berry & Kohn's or Alexander's

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Hi all,

I'm a new grad and will be starting my first RN job in the OR in a little over a month. I want to start learning and to have a good reference on hand. I've heard good recommendations for both of these textbooks. I'm sure I wouldn't go wrong with either, but which would you recommend and why? Or another book? Or additional books?

Thanks in advance.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.

Honestly, I would wait until you start. Your employer very well may provide you with a copy of one of those books to use. If you'll be attending Periop101, you should definitely be given access to Alexander's. Those books aren't cheap!

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Specializes in Operating Room.

Alexander's is the bible. As Rose said, if you go to Periop101 they will have this and usually a surgical instrument book available for you to borrow because you will have an exam at the end over AORN content from the Periop101 course, that way you could see what you are buying before hand. I personally bought a copy of both after I used them, they are excellent resources. There are good pocket guides to the OR out there as well such as:

Pocket Guide to the Operating Room / Edition 3 by Maxine A. Goldman | 97883612266 | Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

The book in the link reviews the basics of what you need to be functional as a new nurse in the OR: positions for specific surgery, instrumentation needed, special medications, what to look out for, and a brief overview of the procedure itself. Again, Alexander's is the bible and is often used in conjunction with many hospital's policies/procedures in the OR in addition with AORN standards.

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Specializes in OR, GI, Endoscopy.

I have both books and used them to pass my CNOR certification. My periop 101 class uses Alexander's as reference. But personally I like how Berrys explains things and concept. Some people said Berrys is more for a person who never scrub in the operating room. I think Amazon has a few pages that you can check it out to see which one you like. In additon to that, join AORN and use your access for the guideline and recommendations online. It will help you to understand the basic and essentials while working in the OR.

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