Rozina Aziz The process of how to become an operating room nurse? See if this field is right for you by researching the roles involved, the required training, and the necessary certifications or licenses.
What Is an Operating Room Nurse?
Perioperative or operating room nurses are RNs that oversee surgical procedures. They aid with preoperative patient preparation and ensure that all equipment is set up and ready to go before any procedures.
Preparing instruments and monitoring the patient’s vital indicators, such as breathing and heart rate, also assist the operating surgeon during the process. The next table will summarize what you need to know to break into this industry.
Pre-op OR nurse:
Nurses in the preoperative operating room educate patients and their loved ones about the upcoming surgery. Vital signs are checked, IVs are started, and documentation is completed to ensure that patients are ready for surgery.
Duties:
- Getting the operating room ready for a procedure. Help the scrub tech prepare drugs and fluids, surgical count sets, soft goods, sharps (to prevent retained surgical items), and more.
- Making sure that all required tools are available and operational.
- Setting up the OR table so that it works as expected. Placement; assembling positioning aids in preparation for patient placement.
- Verifying pre-op consent forms.
- The pre-op evaluation includes examining lab results again.
Intra-op OR nurse:
Intraoperative operating room nurses assist surgeons during surgical procedures and check that all required supplies and staff are present before an operation begins. Scrub nurses maintain a sterile operating room environment and aid the surgeon while circulating nurses communicate with patients’ families and other medical staff.
Duties:
- Moving the patient to the operating table.
- Helping the anesthesiologist with tasks including starting an IV, inducing a patient’s anesthesia, and intubating them, possibly also placing an arterial line.
- Using positioning tools, if necessary, to get the patient into the right position for surgery to prevent harm to the patient.
- Preparing the surgical area by applying a surgical prep (s).
- Pausing before making any incisions or starting the operation.
- All machinery is being watched over.
- Delivering drugs to the operating room.
- Keeping a tally of all the surgical tools and other soft goods that can be counted.
- Making sure everyone on the surgical team uses sterile procedures.
- The process should be documented.
- This includes keeping the patient’s loved ones informed.
- Surgical implant and specimen handling.
- Taking a final head count with the scrub technician as surgery concludes.
- The anesthesiologist and the PACU nurse will make a handoff to the latter by transferring the patient there.
Post-op OR nurse:
Immediately after surgery, postoperative OR nurses are in charge of patient care. They keep tabs on hospital patients, ensure their vitals are good and keep loved ones informed.
Duties:
- Helping the anesthesiologist get set up before the procedure begins.
- Assisting in moving the patient from the operating table to the stretcher.
- Providing the PACU nurse with the handoff report.
- Assist in prepping the room for the procedure by collaborating with the scrub tech and other non-licensed healthcare personnel.
What are the responsibilities of an Operating Room Nurse?
- Manages the operative environment by coordinating the utilization of supplies, instruments, and equipment
- Verifies the machinery is working properly.
- Protects patients and upholds best practices
- Patients’ conditions and care requirements are tracked and relayed to the appropriate members of the interdisciplinary team.
- Care of the patient before, during, and after surgery is coordinated by this department.
- Protects the patient’s best interests
- Records the pre- and intra-operative care given in compliance with the surgeon’s, the hospital’s, and the relevant authorities’ guidelines and policies
- Determines if the operating room is aseptically adequate; if not, takes corrective action; records findings
- Care is given to patients with consideration for their age and cultural background.
- Considers the patient’s and their family’s biological, emotional, developmental, psychological, and educational state
- Manages their own practice’s ongoing education and training initiatives
- Works independently on routine tasks with little guidance from superiors.
What is the typical working environment of an Operating Room Nurse?
Hospitals
Many operating room nurses work in emergency rooms. The types of services provided and the intricacy of procedures substantially vary from institution to institution. Low-acuity patients receiving elective surgery in a select number of specialties may be the primary focus of a Level IV trauma center.
For treating accident-related injuries, a Level I trauma center is the best choice since it provides more specialists and the ability to perform emergency surgery.
Hospitals with Outpatient Services
Outpatient surgery centers often hire nurses with OR experience. Such centers are ideal for outpatient procedures that don’t necessitate continuous nursing care from hospital staff. Of all elective procedures in the United States, over half of them are conducted on an outpatient basis.
As opposed to working in a hospital, many nurses would rather work at an outpatient surgical facility where they are not forced to be “on call” at all hours.
How to become an Operating Room Nurse?
To become an operating room nurse, you can do these six measures:
Gain an associate’s degree.
A bachelor’s degree in nursing is preferred, although associate degrees can get you started as a nursing assistant while you finish your studies. The NCLEX-RN is an exam that prospective operating room nurses can take after acquiring an ADN to become licensed as RNs (ADN)
Get more education.
Complete a four-year nursing program before pursuing specialist qualifications that will allow you to work in an operating room. If you wish to further your nursing career, you can earn a master’s or doctoral degree in addition to your bachelor’s, qualifying you to take the NCLEX-RN.
Obtain your NCLEX-RN certification.
If you take and pass the NCLEX-RN provided by the NCSBN, you will become a registered nurse. A bachelor’s degree is not required to take this test, so you can either wait till you finish your associate’s degree or take it right away.
Pursue a career as a registered nurse.
You can start working as an RN in an emergency room, critical care unit, or operating room setting after passing the NCLEX-RN and receiving your registered nursing license. The experience you get working with patients, and surgical teams in these settings will be invaluable as you develop your nursing career and seek positions in the operating room.
Obtain appropriate credentials
Prospective operating room nurses should increase their marketability by earning one or more certifications after getting relevant work experience. The Certified Nurse Operating Room (CNOR) accreditation is highly sought after. You need two years of experience in the field and a passing score on an exam to qualify for this certification, which is valid for five years.
Apply for Operating Room Nurse positions.
Applying for positions as an operating room nurse is the final stage. If you want your CV and cover letter to stand out, highlight your relevant work experience and professional credentials.
What qualifications do Operating Room Nurses need?
It is reasonable to expect the same qualities and abilities from a good operating room nurse as from any other RN. Some abilities are more crucial than others in this setting, and the five listed below are among them.
Capacity for Collaborative Efforts.
The operating room is a highly dynamic and complex setting that calls for specialized training from all surgical team members. Surgeons, nurses, scrub techs, and anesthesiologists must possess certain shared characteristics to carry out a surgical procedure safely and effectively, in addition to the specialized abilities required. Good communication, respect, organization, and anticipation are hallmarks of the most effective OR teams I’ve observed.
Proficient in Expressing Oneself.
When working in an environment as high-stakes as an operating room, the ability to maintain a level head and communicate clearly with other medical team members is crucial. Your ability to put people at ease through conversation is an extremely valuable asset in this line of work. The Nurses’ Journal emphasizes the value of clear and open communication with patients in preoperative education and postoperative care planning.
well-organized.
A successful outcome during the surgery depends on the nurse’s ability to maintain order in the operating room regarding charting and the organization of supplies and patient care.
Paying Close Attention.
Being well-organized requires attention to detail. You must keep track of everything in the room and be aware of your surroundings. To accomplish this, you must maintain constant vigilance, attending to every demand of the patient, the equipment, and the surgical team.
According to Gap Medics, surgical nurses need multitasking skills since even minor errors can have serious consequences. Your attention to detail will be tested during surgery, as you will need to assist the surgeon while also listening to the patient and keeping an eye on the gauges and other indicators to ensure everything is running smoothly.
Ability to Think Analytically and Creatively.
The need to have strong problem-solving skills and the assurance to make important judgments is also highlighted by Gap Medics for operating room nurses. Poulsen stresses in her essay the importance of judgment, analysis, and quick, appropriate responses for nurses working in the operating room. Changes can occur instantly in even the most normal activities. Therefore adaptability is essential. If you can confidently come up with the best solution to any problem and rapidly take the required measures to get things back on track, you can guarantee patient safety and the greatest possible outcome.
What is the salary of an Operating Room Nurse?
According to the BLS, the median annual salary for registered nurses in the United States is $82,750, or $39.78 per hour. It is reasonable to assume that nurses with specialized training, such as those working in operating rooms, can expect to earn more than their general-practice counterparts.
Income for an operating room nurse might vary depending on things such as where they work and how much they have studied or specialized.
What is Job Outlook for Operating Room Nursing?
There is a lot of room for promotion in the field of operating room nursing, and the salary range is highly competitive. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not collect data on salaries for surgical nurses. Still, an operating room nurse should expect to make about the same as a regular registered nurse.
In May 2017, the median salary for registered nurses was $70,000 per year. Those who worked in the operating room typically earned more due to the higher level of expertise. Several factors, including your experience and certifications, determine the amount you make. The College of Medicine and Science at the Mayo Clinic predicts a 15% employment growth for operating room nurses between 2016 and 2026.
What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?
You can specialize in pediatric, rehabilitative, or cardiovascular nursing, to name a few branches of nursing you could enter. Pediatric nurses are registered nurses who specialize in pediatrics (children’s medical care).
Patients with disabilities are the focus of rehabilitation nurses, who help their patients regain the capacity to carry out normal daily tasks and develop new skills to become more independent.
Cardiovascular nurses focus their care only on those with cardiac issues. These jobs require RNs, who normally have a bachelor’s or higher in nursing.
FAQ’s
Is it challenging to work in an operating room?
In nursing, perioperative nurses face some of the highest stress levels. Their single-person staff size should serve as a strong indicator of how seriously they regard the prevention of medical errors. Nurses require ways to deal with the constant stress of their jobs, which may be physically and mentally draining.
What is the average age of an operating room nurse?
It’s estimated that only 14.8% of all registered nurses work in operating rooms, while 85.2% of those in the field are female. The median age of a registered nurse working in an operating room is 44.
Are operating room nurses in demand?
Operating room nurses are in high demand all around the United States. These experts work under intense strain in multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Nurses in the operating room help patients prepare for surgery, talk to their loved ones, and provide care for them while they are under general anesthesia.
Is operating room nursing a good career?
Having a secure job is another perk of working in an operating room. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the employment of registered nurses will increase by 9% from 2020 to 2030. This means that you have a better chance of having stable employment and being able to pick and choose where you want to work.
