Q: What's a typical workday like for you?

A: Our day starts with a planning meeting for the operating room (OR) nursing staff. Before we begin a case, we check supplies and equipment, and perform an overall safety check of the OR suite. During surgery, a surgical nurse is responsible for assuring a safe and comfortable environment, updating family members and working with a multi-disciplinary team to assure quality patient care.

Q: How does your role fit into the bigger healthcare picture?

A: A surgical nurse is responsible for ensuring safety and advocating for the patient. Safety begins in the OR with the pre-surgery safety check to ensure we have the correct patient and are performing the correct procedure on the correct side. It continues through surgery and throughout the patient's hospital stay.

Q: Who do you interact with during the course of the day?

A: Surgical nurses coordinate patient care with the surgery team, including a surgical technologist, anesthetist, surgeon and anesthesiologist. We interact with family and with nurses from pre-op, recovery room and inpatient care.

Q: Why did you become a surgical nurse?

A: I began my career as a surgical technologist and was passionate about pursuing OR nursing. Surgical nurses today must have a broad range of medical knowledge, possess self-confidence and trust their instincts while remaining flexible to adapt to any situation in the OR.

Q: What do you like about your work?

A: I love my job! I get to see patients' lives change because of the procedures we perform. I like coordinating and anticipating the different needs of the many procedures we do. It's amazing how much technology affects the OR, and I am excited about the future of OR nursing.