OR Nursing Personnel

ADVANCED NURSE PRACTITIONER

Advance Nurse Practitioners are nurses who hold the title of team leader, resource clinical nurse, nurse clinician, clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner. These personnel are capable of organizing and providing complex care while using their initiative and independent judgment.

Requirements of an Advanced Nurse Practitioner:

1. Has acquired a degree in nursing (BSN)
2. Must pass the licensure examination (RN)
3. Graduate of master’s program in nursing (MN or MAN)
4. Expert in a clinical specialty

Functions of an advanced nurse practitioner:

1. Coordinates plan of care for each patient surgical patient with the surgeon, other professional nurses and other allied health care staff who will assist in the performance of the functions that are related to the plan of care.
2. Decides what needs to be done in an operating room set-up with the coordination of the surgeon and other OR personnel. The decision is related to the direct and indirect nursing care of the patient in the operating room set-up by utilizing his or her specialized judgments and skill acquired.
3. Coordinates nursing and supportive services.
4. Directs and determines the nursing implementations that will be done by others.
5. They may fulfill the circulating nurse duties in one operating room or serve as a consultant coordinator for several rooms in which patients are being operated by a surgeon within a given surgical specialty.
6. Evaluates the quality of nursing care postoperatively through direct [patient interaction.

REGISTERED NURSE OR STAFF NURSE

The entry into the operating room personnel is as a staff nurse with license or registered nurse. Before exposed and allowed to work in an actual operation, a structured orientation program is done to develop basic competencies in both scrub and circulating duties of a nurse.

Functions of a registered nurse or staff nurse:

1. Should have the ability to perform either the scrub or circulating nurse duties. In most cases, the more experienced nurse (RN) functions as the circulator and oversees the activities in the OR and the OR team. The nurse functions as patient’s advocate.
2. Works in collaboration with the surgeon and the anesthesiologist in identifying the needs of the patient during the operation or surgical procedure.
3. Assumes responsible for patient care during surgical operation.
4. Document and evaluate the effectiveness of nursing interventions performed.
5. Visits patients before the operation to assess their individualized needs and plan nursing care that will be carried out during the surgical procedure.
6. Conducts postoperative follow-up directly with patients. The rationale for doing this is to provide opportunities to evaluate the outcomes of the nursing care planned and implemented.

Daisy Jane Antipuesto RN MN

Currently a Nursing Local Board Examination Reviewer. Subjects handled are Pediatric, Obstetric and Psychiatric Nursing. Previous work experiences include: Clinical instructor/lecturer, clinical coordinator (Level II), caregiver instructor/lecturer, NC2 examination reviewer and staff/clinic nurse. Areas of specialization: Emergency room, Orthopedic Ward and Delivery Room. Also an IELTS passer.

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