About Surgical Nursing
Nurses are trained professionals who are employed in many areas of medicine in order to serve the needs of patients. Nurses have many different duties. Their tasks include assisting doctors and helping to educate patients about how to care for their medical needs. Many nurses choose to specialize in a specific area of patient care. One of the widely chosen nursing specialties is surgical nursing. Surgical nurses are nurses who assist with surgical procedures.
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Undergraduate Education
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Surgical nurses are registered nurses, or RNs, who have chosen to specialize in surgery or work in an operating room. In order to become an RN one must complete at least two years of college, taking coursework in the sciences and liberal arts. Potential nurses must complete at least one term of clinical education, working with patients in a hospital setting under the supervision of a registered nurse. After graduation, students must pass state licensing exams called the NCLEX or National Counsel Licensure Exam for RNs.
Medical Surgical Nurse Certification
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After working as a surgical nurse for two years, some nurses take the Medical Surgical Nursing Exam, a multiple-choice exam offered several times per year. Surgical nurses must complete 30 hours of continuing education credits before they can take the exam.
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Operating Room Duties
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A surgical nurse may participate in many types of surgery, including laproscopic, elective, emergency and both minor and major surgical procedures. A surgical nurse may hand the doctor sterilized surgical instruments, record the patient's vital signs such as heartbeat, blood pressure reading and respiration as well as assist by providing suction to an area. She also may perform additional tasks such as counting the number of sponges left over to make sure that none are left in the patient's body.
Additional Duties
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Surgical nurses also assist patients before and after surgery. Before surgery a nurse will help guide a patient towards the surgical area, give any medications necessary and note a patient's vital signs. After the patient's surgery, a surgical nurse will help supervise his recovery. The nurse may assist with ambulation, note the patient's vital signs and administer medications to help ward off the aftereffects of surgery such as anti-nausea preparations. A surgical nurse may be a contact for the patient's family.
Working Conditions and Wages
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Surgical nurses primarily work in hospitals. Her shift may be a set time but she generally will not leave an operation in progress. A surgical nurse must be tactful and sensitive to the needs of anxious family members and relatives.
Surgical nurses earned roughly $75,000 per year in 2009. This salary may vary depending the nurse's experience as well as her location.
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