What Does a Surgical Nurse Do?
护士的工作影响着医疗机构提供最佳患者护理的能力. 这种影响最重要的例子之一是在手术室(OR)环境中. Surgical nurses, also known as perioperative nurses or OR nurses, provide specialized patient care throughout the surgery process. 外科护士到底是做什么的，为什么他们的职责如此重要?
The precise duties of a surgical nurse are complex and varied. Developing an understanding of the role’s responsibilities and the educational requirements for the position. 这将帮助你确定是否追求获得经验的途径和成为专业外科护士角色所需的任何额外认证将符合你的兴趣和你想要的护理职业道路.
Surgical Nurse Job Description
外科护士在手术前、手术中和手术后帮助协调病人的护理. They’re typically tasked with maintaining a safe patient environment. 他们还与其他医疗保健专业人员合作，以确保他们完全具备提供正确手术患者护理所需的一切.
Three broad types of surgical nurse roles are available. The first type is a scrub nurse. These specialized registered nurses (RNs) focus their duties mainly on directly preparing for the surgical process. The second type is a circulating nurse; these RNs work outside the sterile field and don’t participate in the surgical process.
A third type of surgical nurse role, the RN first assistant, can also be pursued with further education and training. These nurses manage patient care before, during, and after a surgery.
Work Environment for Surgical Nurses
While surgical nurses always work in surgical environments, they can work in various facilities. 他们通常受雇于急症护理医院，提供不同程度的创伤护理. They can also work in outpatient surgery centers, which conduct surgeries that don’t require overnight hospital stays.
Scrub Nurse Duties
Scrub nurses assist the surgical team by donning sterile masks, gloves, and gowns and passing instruments during surgery. Following the operation, 这项工作包括清理工具和准备将病人运送到恢复室. They also count the instruments and equipment used during surgery (sponges, 医疗用品)，以确保所有使用的东西都有交代，没有任何东西被意外遗忘在其他地方, such as inside the patient.
Circulating Nurse Duties
在手术情况下，循环护士采取更间接的方法来照顾病人. 他们的职责范围更广，重点是维护一个安全舒适的环境. Their responsibilities include inspecting surgical equipment, verifying the patient’s identity, 并确保病人家属签署了必要的同意书. 其他职责包括协助麻醉师治疗病人，与外科医生讨论可能影响病人治疗的特殊问题.
Registered Nurse First Assistant Duties
RN first assistants are responsible for a wide range of tasks. 他们的职责包括观察并发症和监测病人的生命体征, including blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. 如果出现问题，注册护士第一助理会立即通知医生. Their role also involves performing CPR, controlling bleeding, suturing wounds, and applying dressings and bandages. 他们也可以在手术前和出院前对患者进行评估.
Surgical Nurse Education, Experience, and Fundamental Skills
Regardless of what a surgical nurse does through their various duties, their work requires a finely honed level of knowledge and skills. 为了获得这种敏锐性，候选人通常必须在追求这个角色之前完成几个步骤.
Education and Licensure
从事外科护士等注册护士职位通常需要本科学位. An Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) can deepen your knowledge and skills to prepare you for an RN career.
Because all RNs must be licensed in their state of practice, 在申请外科护士职位之前，你还必须通过国家注册护士执照考试(NCLEX-RN). You can take this exam after you earn your undergraduate degree.
Experience
外科护士必须在有监督的环境中发展经验，然后才能担任这个角色. In many states, 注册护士需要有两年或两年以上的工作经验，才能成为一名外科医生或手术室护士. 这种经验将使他们能够将在课堂上获得的知识应用到有利于适当的病人护理的环境中. 护理学校的课程通常以在受控环境中进行实践培训为特色. 你也可以通过实习获得更多的临床经验, a mentoring program, or by volunteering.
Skills
Surgical nurses must have strong scientific and medical knowledge. Understanding concepts such as anatomy, physiology, 微生物学允许专业人员识别和解释可能在整个手术和术后过程中发展的潜在问题.
Attention to detail is also an essential skill for surgical nurses. 这项技能适用于监测病人，以确保他们发现任何并发症. It also applies to simple yet crucial tasks, such as taking inventory of instruments and equipment used in a surgery.
Surgical nurses must also be skilled communicators. They typically work with other healthcare professionals before, during, and after surgery, 所以他们需要能够清晰地传递关于病人病情的重要信息, unambiguous terms.
Surgical Nurse Job Outlook
While the U.S. 劳工统计局(BLS)并没有具体预测外科护士职位的就业增长, it does project approximately 193,100 open positions for RNs each year between 2022 and 2032. 这些空缺源于对保健服务需求的增加和注册护士退休的过渡, more advanced nursing roles, or different fields.
Take On a Crucial Role in Healthcare
外科护士在整个病人旅程中提供独特的护理. 病人是否需要一个简单的门诊程序或更复杂的手术带来的创伤事件, 外科护士帮助手术过程尽可能顺利和有效地进行. 最终，他们的工作对于希望改善患者预后的医疗机构至关重要.
The nursing school programs at Fortis, including the ADN p计划，可以帮助你准备好这个重要的角色，因为你在该领域的经验积累. 我们的课程旨在帮助您建立强大的知识基础和技能，以自信地追求您所选择的护理角色. Learn more about how the Fortis nursing team can help you make a difference in the nursing profession.
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