Summary

This Periop Clinical Training video explores the multifaceted role of perioperative nurses, detailing responsibilities such as supporting surgeons, maintaining sterility, and overseeing patient recovery in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases. The video also introduces specialized roles like RN First Assist and PACU nurses, emphasizing the collaborative nature of perioperative care.

Transcript

Welcome to Periop Clinical Training.

Let's get started.

So what is a Periop Nurse?

Perioperative nursing is a nursing specialty that works with patients who are having an operation or other invasive procedures.

Perioperative nurses work closely with surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurse anesthetist, surgical technologists, and nurse practitioners.

The scrub nurse's role is to support the surgeon while also maintaining patient safety during the seizure. The nurse monitors the surgery to ensure everything remains sterile. The scrub nurse assists the surgical team by helping with sterile masks, gloves, and gowns, as well as assisting the physician by passing instruments during surgery.

The scrub nurse also needs to understand medication dosages, complications, contraindications and potential medication interactions.

They must be able to move quickly and remain organized during complicated procedures. Using critical thinking skills is very important to determine potential surgical complications, and appropriate next steps to take.

Next, let's talk about the role of the Circulating Nurse.

The circulating nurse controls the flow of the operating room from the setup of the surgery to the completion of the surgery.

The nurse records the progress of the operation in the electronic medical record, accounts for the instruments, and handles specimens.

The circulating nurse is also a patient advocate. They ensure patient safety and monitor infection control. The circulating nurse performs the assessment and plans of care for the patient and also observes the team from a wider perspective, not in the sterile field, anticipating any patient compromise.

Other duties of the circulating nurse include beginning the time out procedure. They also may sure the patient is correctly positioned on the table, and they verify counts on instruments prior to the patient entering the room and when the surgeon begins to close the operation.

Another role for nurses within the operating room is a position called the RN First Assist or RNFA.

This is an expanded role for advanced practice RNs that requires additional training beyond basic perioperative training. The RNFA, or the RN First Assist, helps during the surgical procedure by helping with controlling bleeding, exposing wounds, and suturing all under the direction of the surgeon.

Lastly, there's the PACU nurse. A PACU nurse, or Post Anesthesia Care Unit Nurse, cares for patients immediately after surgical procedures and while recovering from anesthesia.

The PACU nurse monitors the patient's airway, breathing, and circulation after surgery, and monitors their condition while they are in the PACU. They may control pain and nausea if the patient is experiencing such symptoms after surgery. The patient will stay in the PACU until they are stable or ready for transfer or discharge.

Periop nursing can be broken down into 3 phases.

Preoperative phase, intraoperative phase, and post operative phase.

The preoperative phase begins when the decision to have surgery is made and ends when the client is transferred to the OR table.

The intraoperative phase begins when the patient is transferred to the OR table and ends when the patient is admitted to the PACU.

The postoperative phase begins with the admission of the patient to the PACU and ends when healing is complete.

That wraps up the Periop video. Thanks for watching.