Reps in the OR

[ORRN4evr]

Hello all,

What policy does your facility have that covers REPS in the OR? Also looking for ideas for making them more easily identifiable/visible in a busy OR. I recommended RED disposable hair bouffants (as opposed to the green and blue ones worn by staff), but my idea was shot down. Any other suggestions?

[mhy12784]

Well at my hospital OR staff uniforms are one color, and they have like disposable outfits for reps which are an entirely different color (as well as red bouffants for reps)

If reps are wearing the exact same scrubs as OR staff, that's not very bright

[JustBeachyNurse, LPN]

Non-staff when I did clinical wore ceil blue disposable scrubs (reps, students, family support member in with c/section) students and family had blue scrub bonnets and reps had green or red depending on what was available. OR staff in the main OR wore green scrub and usually fabric scrub caps or white disposable. L&D staff had ceil scrubs.

Paper scrubs were durable but obvious not on paid staff. Apparently there was an incident with a non-staff member "intervening" in a case a number of years back

Ultimately it turns out buying the disposable paper scrubs for non staff was much more cost efficient as renting scrubs. They then started bar coding the scrubs and assigning them to specific staff members and reduced cost tremendously. No one could secure the "clean" scrubs if onto to assigned to a hospital provided scrub unit (OR, L&D, PACU, NiCU, oncology). Also stopped staff members from other department from "acquiring" hospital owned scrubs.

[TraumaORnurse]

Our reps are required to change in to burgundy scrubs. We have a vendor locker room stocked with only these scrubs. Our regulars have a hospital badge that allows them access to that locker room and the department. Anyone else has to be scheduled and go through admin to get their "I'm a visitor" name badge sticker.

We recently changed the policy for students. They wear the normal blue surgery scrubs, but have to wear a green hats. This includes nursing students, tech students, and med students.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

For the most part, we just "know" who our reps are. The same people are there routinely. However, they do wear orange disposable hats (staff wear green) and have a different colored band on their hospital ID badge if they have one or a florescent orange sticker if they do not have a hospital badge. Also required to sign in and out at our front desk- they only receive their hospital ID once they sign in and hand over photo ID (drivers license for most), and since it's a locked unit have to be buzzed in the first time.

[ORoxyO]

Ours wear the red hats.

[ode2BeRN]

The hospital where I work at (So. Cali and a teaching university hospital) requires all reps/vendors to wear red scrubs, which is provided. They are allowed to come in to the OR after the patient has been been intubated, positioned, we have done the time out. They are only to come in once the surgeon is ready for them (such as implants, etc.)

The policy is stated when they check in and enter there information.

Hope this helps!

[scrubnurselife]

The large Level 1 I used to work at the vendors wore the red bouffants. We also had a dyno sticker badge machine. Basically, the vendor had to be in the computer system, meaning they had already been approved by the hospital and their credentials had been checked. Their picture was also in the computer system, so when they came in, they had to sign in at the desk and have a picture badge printed out to wear with the day's date on it. I'm on contract with a smaller hospital now, and they just do the same badge system.

[csmith13]

Our reps wear the same blue scrubs as we do but wear bright red hats. They also wear stickers with their pictures on them as well as their names to identify who they are. They aren't allowed in without either of those items. Also they are not allowed in any of our storage or supply rooms without a hospital employee present

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[peabozzle]

Where I work, most of the reps are there ALOT, so their faces are familiar. They are all issued rep badges from the hospital with their name, picture & company they work for. The badges allow them access to only certain areas of the hospital. They have their own vendor locker room with black scrubs stocked for them, so they are easily identifiable from a distance. Our policy also requires that they are in the OR only after the patient has been intubated, draped & prepped to protect patient confidentiality.

[RobtheORNurse]

I am a former OR nurse and now an educator (Rep) for a surgical company. The easiest thins for everyone is the red hat. Reps are necessary in the OR and should be readily identifiable. Some hospitals put us in different colored scrubs but a red hat is a very cost effective system.

[sop832]

Our sales reps are supposed to wear the half grreen half blue scrubs so they can be easily ID'd, but thet won't if no one challenges them. BTW, most of them annoy me to no end.They think that they are "all that" and they congregate in the halls, come in and out of the room at will, try to talk through t H e timeout, and suck up to the surgeons so loudly that you can actually hear the sound! They don't introduce themselves, and I have better things to do than chase after them tty o get their sign in done. Many of them socislize with the nurses and surgeons, so many of them are given a pass on the rules. It makes me crazy, but I am not a member of the crowd, (I don't go out and drink with them, so they ignore me) They are a constant irritation to me!.Ok, rant done!