Operating Room Registered Nurse

1.   Philosophy

• Supports the facility’s ideology, mission, goals, and objectives
• Performs in accordance with the facility’s policies and procedures
• Follows the facility’s standards for ethical business conduct
• Conducts self as a positive role model and team member
• Recognizes patients’ rights and responsibilities and supports them in performance of job duties
• Participates in facility committees, meetings, in-services, and activities

2.   Communication

• Communicates effectively and professionally with patients, visitors, physicians, and coworkers
• Interacts with others in a positive, respectful, and considerate manner

3.   Financial practices

• Uses facility resources appropriately and avoids wasteful practices
• Reports wasteful practices
• Analyzes work area and makes recommendations for potential cost-effective improvements

4.   Compliance program

• Contributes to the progress and development of the organization’s adopted compliance program
• Performs according to established compliance policies and procedures

5.   Performance-improvement program

• Contributes to the progress and development of the organization's adopted performance-improvement program
• Performs according to established performance-improvement policies and procedures

6.   Safety/risk-management program

• Adheres to safety policies and procedures in performing job duties and responsibilities
• Reports observed or suspected safety violations, hazards, and policy/procedure noncompliance to the safety officer or other designated person

7.   Professional competence

• Participates in continuing education and other learning experiences
• Shares knowledge gained in continuing education with staff
• Maintains membership in relevant professional organizations
• Seeks new learning experiences by accepting challenging opportunities and responsibilities
• Develops teaching programs as requested for use in surgical or medical management, safety, health awareness, and enhancement of patient care
• Develops and maintains current materials for teaching and consent procedures
• Implements approved teaching programs as requested
• Monitors the patient education and counseling programs to assess quality and areas for improvement
• Evaluates the outcome of teaching and counseling programs as they pertain to patients’ overall satisfaction with the surgical experience
• Welcomes suggestions and recommendations

8.   Duties

• Participates as a team member in support of the total perioperative process
• Organizes time, equipment, supplies, and personnel to provide effective and efficient case management
• Supervises and directs patient care in a single operating room
• Organizes nursing activities efficiently and effectively
• Delegates activities appropriate to the abilities of available staff members
• Considers cost containment by using supplies economically and in effective turnover time
• Assists with supply, drug, and equipment inventories to maintain stock level and availability
• Addresses patient needs during admission to the operating room, with attention to requirements specific to the outpatient setting
• Transports patients to the operating room observing policies/procedures, safety requirements, and patient needs
• Identifies the patient and correct surgical intervention according to policy/procedure and communicates such information to all members of the surgical team
• Reviews patients’ medical records/needs to plan care with other healthcare team members
• Provides comfort and reassurance to patient
• Maintains patients’ privacy and dignity
• Explains intraoperative phase of routine procedures and care to the patient
• Performs the circulating nurse’s role and functions following approved operating room procedures to meet the requirements of scheduled procedures
• Prepares operating room according to requirements of patient/procedure to be performed
• Assembles and provides properly functioning equipment, supplies, and instruments before start of procedure and positions and adjusts equipment as required during the procedure
• Anticipates needs of surgical team and assists anesthesia personnel by supporting patient during administration of anesthesia
• Assists with the proper and safe positioning of the patient and prepares operative site as directed by established procedures
• Monitors compliance with principles of aseptic technique according to accepted standards
• Assists with identification and confirmation of operative site
• Provides for comfort in the physical environment by monitoring designated parameters
• Provides continuity of patient care by communicating with other perioperative care personnel and documenting records accordingly
• Responds in a timely manner to meet the needs of the patient and physician
• Accurately comprehends and interprets verbal orders/directions
• Documents patient care records and other forms accurately following policies and procedures
• Accurately advises others responsible for the care of the patient about the patient’s status