Scrub Nurse Essay

There are two to four nurses are normally present in the operating room during surgery. One of these is the scrub nurse or a surge technician. This nurse is "scrubbed in," or wearing a special sterile gown and gloves, and is in charge of the instruments used during the operation. The scrub nurse anticipates what the surgeon will need, passes the instruments to the surgeon as requested, keeps track of where every instrument and piece of gauze is during the operation and prepares samples for biopsy. The circulating nurse is not scrubbed in and therefore has more freedom to move around and outside the operating room. They retrieve supplies that were not gathered before the surgery, open their nonsterile outer wrappings to expose the sterile interior

The scrub nurse’s duties begin far before the start of the operation. They ensure the operating room is clean and ready to be set up, then prepares the instruments and equipment needed for the surgery. They count all sponges, instruments, needles and other tools and preserves the sterile environment by “scrubbing in,” which requires washing their hands with special soaps and putting on sterile garments, including a gown, gloves and face mask. When the surgeon arrives, the nurse helps put on gown and gloves before preparing the patient for surgery. During the operation, the scrub nurse’s primary duties is selecting and passing instruments to the surgeon, while also maintaining patient safety. The nurse must know which instruments are used for specific procedures and when they are needed, so she can quickly hand them to the surgeon. The scrub nurse must also watch for hand signals to know when the surgeon is ready for the next tool or when he is done using a tool and is ready to hand it back to the scrub nurse, who cleans the tools after use and places each tool back in its place on the table. She also monitors the surgery to ensure everything remains sterile. After the operation, the scrub nurse again counts all instruments,

Surgical nurses may explain the procedure to the patient, and ease fears about the upcoming surgery and recovery. They also check the patient 's vitals, administer medications, and help to sterilize and mark the surgical site. The nurse may give instructions and need to be followed to ensure your safety. Here are some examples: Do not eat or drink anything (including water) after midnight the night prior to your surgery. Do not eat or drink anything (including water) on the morning of surgery. Do not chew gum. Refrain from smoking at least 24 hours prior to surgery. Do not drink alcoholic beverages for at least 48 hours prior to