Did you know that November 14th is Operating Room Nurse Day? This day was established to honor nurses who care for patients before, during, and immediately after surgery. It was first celebrated on November 14, 1989 by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. 
Perioperative nurses, more commonly referred to as operating room nurses or "OR" nurses, are registered nurses (RNs) who work in surgical departments for hospitals, surgery units, clinics, and physicians offices. They can wear many different hats including scrub nurse (selects and handles surgery instruments), circulating nurse (manages overall nursing care in the operating room), RN first assistant (assists surgeon to control bleeding, provide wound exposure, and suture). They also can take on other roles including OR director (managing OR budgets, staffing, etc...), management consultant, clinical educator, researcher, medical sales professional, or a nurse anesthetist. To read more about this career, including information on how much an OR nurse can earn, click here.
In order to work as an OR nurse, you must first become an RN by completing either an associate's or bachelor’s degree program in nursing or a diploma nursing program. If you are currently an LPN, LVN, or paramedic and want to get into the OR nursing field, we can help! Click here to learn more about The College Network’s® online programs for nurses and to request information on continuing your education.
Interesting in other nursing career paths? Check out below some of our past blogs:
Can You Only Be A Nurse In A Hospital?
