Perioperative Nursing Practice

Part 1 Basic competencies: a conceptual model for perioperative nursing practice; patient assessment and diagnosis - a functional health patterns approach; planning patient care - a functional health patterns approach; transferring the patient; patient and family education; creating and maintaining a sterile field; performing sponge, sharps. and instrument counts; providing instrument, equipment and supplies; administering drugs and solutions; physiologically monitoring the patient; monitoring and controlling the environment; positioning the patient; handling cultures and specimens; evaluating patient care - a functional health patterns approach. Part 2 Competencies for the RNFA: preparing the patient for surgery; handling tissue with instruments - providing exposure and suturing; providing hemostasis; postoperative care of the patient. Part 3 Procedures and surgery: assisting the anaesthetist with (1) the administration of anaesthesia, (2) complications, (3) emergencies and (4) blood transfusions; general surgery; vascular surgery; cardiac surgery; transplantation surgery; plastic surgery; neurosurgery; urologic surgery; orthopaedic surgery; gynaecologic surgery; otolaryngologic surgery. Part 4 Special populations: paediatric surgery; geriatric surgery. Part 5 Perioperative issues - management and education: perioperative staff development; developing perioperative nursing department policies and procedures; financial management for the perioperative nurse; staffing and scheduling; standards of performance; quality improvement, continuous quality care; dealing with regulatory bodies; legislative trends in nursing implications for the perioperative nurse; encroachment of practice implications for the perioperative nurse; professional involvement, an issue of survival; entrepreneurship.