Surgical Techs Running O.R. Board?

Specialties Operating Room

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Specializes in O.R. Nursing - ENT, CTC, Vasc..

I'm a surgical RN, I circulate and scrub.  CSTs (or just STs) are now learning to run our O.R. board. where I work. Typically an RN has done it.  A group of them rotate weeks, they do a week at a time.  The "board runner" RNs were called "charge".  So now that scrubs are doing it, they (the STs) don't make staffing assignments for the rooms (staff being RNs and scrubs).  The assistant manager or manager takes their suggestions for that  and approves or disapproves (so they say).  Anyway, most RNs are not OK with it.  I don't want to be a board runner so I don't care (at the moment).  If I have a problem that is under the scope of an RN I will not take it to the board runner scrub.  On those weeks the managers understand they're going to be acting as "charge nurse" (as I understand it so far).  P.S.  Our anesthesiologists and CRNAs do not ever run our board.   

..... Just looking for thoughts from other people about it. 

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Specializes in OR, Quality & Risk, Administration.

What's wrong with it?  OR board running is just basically playing Tetris on level 5 but with surgery cases instead of blocks! Those scrubs probably know those cases better than the nurses do. They know the surgeons and how long they take to do each case, what equipment goes where, what is needed for each case, etc.  I don't see a problem with it as long as they are not solving RN level patient specific issues and have an RN to consult with. 

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
NurseCDT said:

What's wrong with it?  OR board running is just basically playing Tetris on level 5 but with surgery cases instead of blocks! Those scrubs probably know those cases better than the nurses do. They know the surgeons and how long they take to do each case, what equipment goes where, what is needed for each case, etc.  I don't see a problem with it as long as they are not solving RN level patient specific issues and have an RN to consult with. 

Agreed, especially when management is also on site for RN issues.  I would only be concerned if there wasn't an RN available, especially in a setting that is, per policy/regulation, required to have a full surgical team available for traumas. When I was evening/night shift charge, my position required an RN because often I was the "free for trauma" circulator in addition to running the board. Having a ST run the board with no available RN would have been a violation.

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Specializes in O.R. Nursing - ENT, CTC, Vasc..

I couldn't find anything anywhere else so I brought it here.  ? I don't see a problem with it but some RNs have a problem with it because "it's not in their (STs) scope of practice".  And then I wonder, "am I not informed enough about my scope of practice?" ?.  I personally don't know what the big deal is but so many people are against it that I just wonder what they know that I don't.  I tell people "it's a puzzle -- where do the cases go?"  And I'm not good at it and don't want to do it.  We don't even get charge nurse pay for it.  Anyway, thanks.  ?

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Specializes in OR, Quality & Risk, Administration.

The board is always a power struggle because whoever runs it gets to put their friends in the easy rooms or wherever they want to be.  The nurses are just mad because they can't control it.  There are no scope of practice issues here. 

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Specializes in PHN, CNOR, Pre-op&PACU.

I also heard of a ST running the board and trained  tracker nurses how to chart and what medication to pull based on the surgeons' preference card. The only staff RNs they have are in the PACU and the rest of OR RNs are mainly the per diem RNs or traveler RNs.

They lead ST is obviously like a charge nurse in that aspect. The lead ST also knows all the CRNAs and anesthesiologists. He sometimes assist with doing the push and pull on the regional blocks as the new RNs don't know how to do it. IDK the liability of it if something goes wrong on the regional block, documentation, or on the medication pulled.

As far as the regulation of ST, I know they do have some sort of certification or something. My question is more on the liability issue. If anything goes wrong with whatever the ST "teaches" the RNs, who will be liable and what regulations the ST falls under since the ST has no license to lose. From the admin's standpoint, hiring a ST to run the board is definitely easier and cheaper than having a RN to do it for sure. 
 

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Specializes in PHN, CNOR, Pre-op&PACU.

My current practice area has no such a thing of the ST running the board because all the RNs know how to scrub and can function as a scrub without any problem. I guess the answer to the question of who should run the board is whoever having the capability of doing both the jobs of RNs and STs. For RNs who only does the circular job, no offense, may have to be ruled by an experienced ST given to the fact they may know more than you do to a certain degree that the surgeons / administration allow them to run it. However, they won't start a IV, give meds, or monitor the pt, so you still have your jobs if they don't cross the line to do those activities that they obviously should not LOL.

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Specializes in O.R. Nursing - ENT, CTC, Vasc..

Thanks for the responses.  Someday soon I guess I'll have more curious questions about weird stuff we do.  LOL.  

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