Reflection On Preoperative Experience

The perioperative experience involves the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phase. I had the opportunity to closely observe the health care staff during the last two phases of the perioperative process. This experience allowed be to gain a better understanding of the role of nurses throughout these different phases. It was apparent that their day to day duties are different than registered nurses in other areas of the hospital. During the perioperative experience, I was able to observe the role of the registered nurses, the role of other staff members, the progression of the nursing diagnosis, and patient teaching.
Role of Professional Nurse
I was not able to experience the preoperative nursing phase because I began the perioperative

The circulating nurse also initiated the time-out. During the time-out, the circulating nurse said the patient’s name, the surgery that the patient was getting, and the limb in which the surgery was being performed on. The other health care professionals agreed that it was the right patient, right site, and right procedure. Throughout the surgery the circulating nurse continued to ensure the safety of the patient by watching the surgical staff and making sure that the sterile field was not contaminated. This nurse’s role also included gathering materials for the surgeon, throwing away trash, and keeping the environment comfortable for the staff. Towards the end of the procedure the nurse counted all sponges and needles with the scrub to make sure that no equipment was left within the patient. The nurse also continued to document information such as the length of the surgery and the amount of blood lost throughout the procedure. Lastly, the circulating nurse cleaned the room and then transferred the patient into a hospital bed to be transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit. Ignatavicius and workman (2013) addressed that these are all responsibilities of the circulating nurse (p.

However, according to Ignatavicus and Workman (2013) the floor nurse role is to monitor pain, vitals, level of consciousness, gastrointestinal system, urinary system, and motor abilities (p.