Staffing protocol

suzanne4, RN · Jun 24, 2005

Welcome to Allnurses.com. Glad that you joined us.............. :)

In the US, you are required to have one circulator RN in every case, so essentially one RN for each room that is running. Then dependent on who is scrubbing, whether an RN or scrub tech......plus someone to do breaks, etc. but this will also depend on the size of your staff, may require several people.

There should also be someone running the "Board" as we call it here.

Then depending on the types of cases that you are doing, if you need to have the supervisor or lead nurse for that area available.

Hope that this gives you a start............are you required to have an RN Circulator for each room?

chingathk · Jun 24, 2005

Thanks. Is it mean that at least 3 persons (licensed) in one theatre. If one is Scrub tech, then 2 of them should be a RN?? Our hospital are going to do some statistic on manpower indicator. In the coming year, scrub tech. will be piloted in some hopsitals. Therefore I would like to have some information in this issues.

Welcome to Allnurses.com. Glad that you joined us.............. :)
In the US, you are required to have one circulator RN in every case, so essentially one RN for each room that is running. Then dependent on who is scrubbing, whether an RN or scrub tech......plus someone to do breaks, etc. but this will also depend on the size of your staff, may require several people.
There should also be someone running the "Board" as we call it here.
Then depending on the types of cases that you are doing, if you need to have the supervisor or lead nurse for that area available.
Hope that this gives you a start............are you required to have an RN Circulator for each room?

suzanne4, RN · Jun 24, 2005

Actually just two people are required, the RN Circulator, as well as a scrub nurse, who can be a scrub tech ar an RN. Of course this can change when there are two scrubs required because of the complexity of the case, or even two RNs are needed to circulate when it is a a very critical trauma case.

Easiest way to get information is by going to AORN.org. This is the professional organization for the OR for the US and they set all of the standards that are currently in use over here.

suzanne4, RN · Jun 24, 2005

Actually just two people are required, the RN Circulator, as well as a scrub nurse, who can be a scrub tech ar an RN. Of course this can change when there are two scrubs required because of the complexity of the case, or even two RNs are needed to circulate when it is a a very critical trauma case.

Easiest way to get information is by going to http://www.AORN.org. This is the professional organization for the OR for the US and they set all of the standards that are currently in use over here.

ShirleyM · Jun 25, 2005

Welcome to Allnurses.com. Glad that you joined us.............. :)
In the US, you are required to have one circulator RN in every case, so essentially one RN for each room that is running. Then dependent on who is scrubbing, whether an RN or scrub tech......plus someone to do breaks, etc. but this will also depend on the size of your staff, may require several people.
There should also be someone running the "Board" as we call it here.
Then depending on the types of cases that you are doing, if you need to have the supervisor or lead nurse for that area available.
Hope that this gives you a start............are you required to have an RN Circulator for each room?

Suzanne, I'm curious...is it really required to have a RN as circulator in every case? I'm asking because I read an article where one of the AORN's goals this year is to mandate that the circulator be an RN in every case. That led me to believe that there were places there that (RN as circulator) wasn't being done.

suzanne4, RN · Jun 25, 2005

As far as I know it has already been a requirement. There must be an RN there for the assessment of the patient, etc. and this is required by the Board of Nursing that the assessment be done by an RN.

I could possibly see it not happening in an operating room that was in a surgeon's office, but in any hospital that I am aware of, there has always been an RN in the Circulator role.

I know that some states were trying to get it pushed that one RN could cover 2 rooms, but that got pushed by the wayside very quickly. I was a dlelgate to AORN Congress two years ago and this was addressed during that time.