There are many different kinds of nurses, each specialized in a particular branch of medicine and with their own unique sets of skills and abilities. One of the most valued nurses out there, both as staff nurses and as traveling medical professionals are operating room nurses.
These nurses play a crucial role in operating rooms throughout the world, helping prepare the patients for surgery, assisting during the surgeries and caring for patients post-op.
Ventura MedStaff has multiple assignments for OR nurses, and we are more than familiar with the value these individuals bring to the medical facility where they work at. Here are some of the primary reasons why OR nurses are invaluable.
They Care for Patient Safety
Operating room nurses are primarily concerned with patient safety in the OR. Without them, any number of complications could occur during the procedure. It is their skill and ability to anticipate these problems that helps the surgeries go smoothly. Surgeons need to focus on the procedure itself, leaving a lot of the accompanying work to the nurses.
This ranges from monitoring patients’ vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, etc.), to checking the patient’s medical history and any allergies or reactions to medication to avoid any adverse reactions.
They Are a Part of the Preparation and Implementation of Surgical Plans
OR nurses don’t only work in the operating room. In fact, they are heavily involved in the creation of surgical plans. What this means is that they assist the surgeon in preparing for the procedure by selecting and setting up the necessary equipment and instruments, preparing the patient for surgery, and ensuring the patient is positioned correctly on the operating table.
This requires a lot of education and experience on the behalf of the nurse – many hospitals and facilities will require nurses to have some experience before they are allowed to specialize in the OR field.
Postoperative Care Part of the Job
Beyond the operating room, after the surgery is done, the work of OR nurses is not – they also provide postoperative care to the patient. As a person intimately familiar with the pre-op procedures the patient went through, a person who was present and assisting during the operation itself, they are uniquely positioned to be the primary caregiver to the patient while they recover from surgery.
The job of an OR nurse post op includes monitoring the patient’s vital signs, administering pain medication as prescribed by the physician and generally looking for the signs of recovery.
Why OR Nurses Are Sought-After as Traveling Nurses?
It’s really simple – good OR nurses are hard to come by. The level of skill and dedication required to become a good OR nurse means that there aren’t as many of them as is required by the healthcare system. Hospitals are always willing to offer more to highly trained and skilled nurses to work in their facility, and that goes double for such a niche and necessary profession like OR nurses.
It Takes Great Communication Skills to Be a Surg-Med Nurse
OR nurses need to have excellent communication skills. These are essential for the smooth functioning of the surgical team in the operating room. They communicate with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, and other members of the healthcare team to ensure everyone is aware of the patient’s status and any changes that occur during the procedure.
Perhaps more importantly, though, they need to use their skills to communicate with the patient and family before, during, and after surgery to answer any questions and provide reassurance. It can be easy to forget the other side of medicine – the patients and their families who may be scared or not understand. The gentle encouragement or an accurate piece of information might just be what they need to get through the whole ordeal – and OR nurses are the ones to deliver this.
The versatility of tasks required of an OR nurse, as well the difficulty of their education has made OR nurses an in-demand profession. That is true for staffed nurses, but especially so for travel nurses. If you are an OR nurse looking for a change of pace or just an adventure to go on, reach out to Ventura MedStaff today. We have postings all across the U.S., and you are sure to find your place in the Ventura MedStaff family.
