Travel Operating Room (OR) Registered Nurse (RN)

Position Overview

RNs working in the operating room (OR) assist doctors and surgeons in the operating room and monitor patients' vital signs during surgery. They work alongside surgical teams to ensure that patients receive the best possible care and serve as liaisons between the surgical team and the patients' families.

Primary Responsibilities

• Pre-Operative Care: Assess patients before surgery, coordinate surgical care, and maintain a sterile operating room
• Prepare patients for surgery including positioning and prepping surgical sites
• Verify patient identification, surgical site, and informed consent
• Start IVs and administer pre-operative medications

Intraoperative Duties

• Maintain sterile environment and infection control protocols
• Assist surgeons with instruments and supplies as needed
• Document surgical procedures and patient responses
• Cooking OR nurses may specialize in different roles: Circulating Nurse, Scrub Nurse, OR First Assistant (RNFA)
• Coordinate responses in emergency situations

Post-Operative Care

• Monitor patients during recovery from anesthesia
• Assess patient condition and vital signs post-surgery
• Provide patient and family education regarding recovery

OR Nursing Roles

• Circulating Nurse: Works outside the sterile field, serves as patient advocate during surgery, manages all nursing care within the OR, oversees blood transfusions and monitors equipment, performs instrument and sponge counts
• Scrub Nurse: Works within the sterile field, sets up surgical instruments and equipment, passes instruments and supplies to surgeons during procedures, maintains sterile technique throughout surgery
• OR First Assistant (RNFA): Advanced role requiring additional certification, provides direct surgical assistance to surgeons, may handle tissue, provide hemostasis, and suture

Required Qualifications

• Current RN license
• Previous bedside experience
• BLS (Basic Life Support) certification required
• ACLS (Advanced Cardiac Life Support) certification preferred
• Previous OR experience strongly preferred

Preferred Certifications

• Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR)
• Certified Foundational Perioperative Nurse (CFPN)
• Certified Ambulatory Surgery Nurse (CNAMB)

Shift Details

• Several opportunities available - Day & Night shifts
• Opportunities available across NM
• Competitive pay rate
• Housing stipend
• Meals & Incidentals stipend