What are attitudes towards Perioperative RN's?

[DMR1]

Hey everyone

sorry I'm not posting this in the Perioperative forum, but it gets like one post a month lol, so I thought I'd try here.

I'm interested in becoming a Perioperative RN, and I'm wondering how they are treated. I've heard that a lot of RN's aren't treated with a lot of respect from people above them, how about Perioperative RN's?

Also, for anyone who can answer, I've read online that these type of nurses work in the hospital's surgical bays. Is this true? I've heard they assist in surgery, check OR equipment, but then I've also heard that they look after patients in critical care.

Can someone outline the responlibilites of what they do? I am REALLY intersted in working in the OR, assisting in surgeries and checking equipment, etc.

If anyone could help me out, I'd really appreciate it :)

[chartleypj]

DMR1,

This web site may amswer many of your questions re perioperative nursing: http://www.aorn.org

In many respects perioperative nursing is no different than any other kind of nursing specialty. It can be more technical in that there is instrumentation and equipment involved. The working environment is different than say med-surg nursing in that we work very closely with surgeons and anesthesiologists as a team to provide the best possible outcome for our patients.

RN's in the periop area assess, plan, provide and evaluate nursing care for the patient in surgery. RN's are the patients' primary advocate providing a safe environment for the patient at a time when they cannot advocate for themselves.

RN's are capable of circulating or scrubbing in the OR; most facilities require by law that a Registered Nurse be the circulator in an OR here in the US. When they scrub they actually act as a 'second assistant' to the surgeon and his assistant. It is beyond the scope of nursing practice for an RN to act as a first assistant in many states without proper advanced practice and/or certification.

Types of surgery are dependant on the size and level facility you work at.

Respect is a big issue in all of nursing. When a nurse acts with integrity holding to the standards of nursing practice and respects herself and others, it becomes a non-issue in the OR.

Good luck with your decision,

Paula

[DMR1]

Thanks to you all, you've cleared up some of my questions.

[Chrislynn2003]

I just got hired as a grad nurse to work as a periop nurse.... so excited . I did a couple of shadow days where i observed the nurse's role in the periop setting. One setting did outpatient surgeries, another inpatient. Both were totally awesome. The periop nurse functions mainly as a circulating nurse where I am working at. They do paperwork, help set up for surgery, might do preop, assists in getting anything that needs to be done durign surgery, etc. The periop nurse can also be a scrub nurse, that remains sterile, and handles sterile instruments, but at my hospital there are a lot of techs that scrub. But, if you are intersted in periop nursing, I say go for it. As a nurse that just graduated 3 weeks ago, I am very excited to be offered this opportunity. Also, in both settings, the techs, nurses, assistants, and surgeons were very nice for the most part. Well, good luck in whatever you pursue. Best wishes.

Christine:cool: