Perioperative Nursing Job Description
Perioperative Nurses are Nurses who work with patients who are undergoing operative or invasive procedures. These Nurses work in unison with surgeons, anesthetists, surgical technologists, Nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals.
Perioperative Nurses must perform preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative care.
Perioperative Nurses do not often work in many different settings. Some of the duties that they typically perform include the following:
- Assessing the psychological and physical conditions of the patient, before, during, and after the operation
- Classifying primary care to be given to patients’ needs
- Organizing activities related to completion of Nursing care by other healthcare team members
- Giving directions on proper handling of materials and tools
- Participating in ongoing and continuous training programs
Perioperative Nurses also typically serve as circulating Nurses. This entails assisting in the Nursing care of a patient during surgery. The circulating Nurse must observe breaches in surgical asepsis, as well as coordinate the needs of the surgical team. Another role of a Perioperative Nurse is to act as an instrument Nurse, who works directly with surgeons while wearing scrubs and passing instruments, sponges, and any other procedural items.
Perioperative Nurses also serve as registered Nurse first assistants, which is the Nurse who acts as the surgeon’s assistant. This Nurse provides aid in exposure, homeostasis, closure, and other intraoperative functions to ensure all surgical procedures go smoothly.
