The course introduces the fundamentals of operating room techniques, emphasizing principles and practices of asepsis and sterilization. Physical and psychosocial aspects of the patient are explored. Included are the roles and responsibilities of the surgical technologist and other surgical team members; accountability and legal aspects; identification of common equipment, instruments, and supplies; students practice scrubbing, gowning, and gloving. Selected laboratory practice required.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
- Communication Skills and Teamwork
- Legal Issues, Documentation, and Risk Management
- Healthcare Facility Organization and Management
- Physical Environment
- Methods of Disinfection and Sterilization
- Environmental Disinfection of the Operating Room
- Hemostasis, Suture, and Wound Healing
- Biopsychosocial Needs of the Patient
- Patient Transport and Surgical Positioning
- Urinary Catheterization
- Surgical Counts
- Basic Instrumentation
- Environmental Hazards
- Aseptic Technique
- Describe the surgical technologist, nature of their work, employment options, and possible career opportunities.
- Describe hospital organization, noting the relationship of the surgical area to the other departments of the hospital.
- Compare and contrast the surgical team members, noting the moral, professional, and legal responsibility of each.
- Identify the surgical patient’s needs before, during, and after surgery.
- Explain the principles and practices of surgical asepsis.
- Describe sutures and suturing techniques used in surgical procedures.
- Categorize basic surgical instruments and instrument categories, common supplies, and equipment and their uses.
- Describe and demonstrate scrubbing, gowning, and gloving for surgical procedures.
- Demonstrate basic surgical positioning and urinary catheterization.
- Analyze basic surgical positioning factors including anesthesia, surgeon’s preference, patient considerations, and safety.
- Describe common forms of sterilization used for surgical instruments and supplies.
- Describe the types of wounds, wound healing, infection, and blood replacement.
- Differentiate among various methods of hemostasis.
- Describe objectives and priorities in emergency situations.
- Demonstrate the principles of safe transport of the patient to the OR, including transfer on and off the OR table.
- Describe legal issues, documentation and Risk Management as they pertain to the operating room (OR) setting.
Assessment and Requirements
Assessment of academic achievement will include unit exams, quizzes, and a cumulative final.
Students must pass this course with a “C” or better grade to remain in the SRG Program.
Students must follow all classroom/ clinical policies described in the most current SRG Student Handbook.
- Required: Textbook(s) as determined by program faculty.
- Recommended: Textbook(s) as determined by program faculty.