You may never have heard of a perioperative nurse, but if you’ve had surgery, that’s who cared for you before, during and after the procedure.
These healthcare professionals are warriors and advocates for patients and their families, declares the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, reason enough to join with them this week in celebrating Perioperative Nurses Week.
In medical dramas, the nurses you see in the operating rooms selecting and passing instruments to the surgeon and jumping in to assist are perioperative nurses. Especially in complex surgeries when multiple practitioners are involved, these RNs will also serve as circulating nurses, managing the nursing care and ready to assist wherever they may be needed.
What you won’t see on TV is the less dramatic, yet just as essential role of perioperative nurses in caring for patients immediately following a procedure, counseling them and their families and educating patients and caregivers on what they need to do to ensure a speedy and safe recovery.
Perioperative nurses work in hospitals, outpatient centers and in doctors’ offices, working with new patients and are in regular contact with surgeons and other members of the surgical team. The Mayo Clinic says that though the work environment is stressful, “many nurses find it a rewarding role.”
Hopefully, you’ll never need surgery, but if you do, know that a perioperative nurse will be there as your advocate.
Join with us at Green Key Resources in recognizing perioperative nurses for the work they do.
Photo by Graham Ruttan on Unsplash
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