Why Every OR Needs an OR Assistant

Typically, a surgical team consists of the surgeon, the surgeon’s assistant, a perioperative nurse, also known as an operating room or a surgical nurse, a radiographer, an anesthesiologist, and a surgical technician, also known as an operating room assistant.

The Job Duties of an OR Assistant Overlap the Job Duties of an OR Nurse

An OR assistant’s primary duty is maintaining a sterile environment during operations, and this often includes prepping the patient and the surgical team. In addition, the assistant will pass surgical instruments to the surgeon, cut sutures, apply dressings and prepare specimens for analysis.

Following surgery, the OR assistant will transport the patient to the recovery room and clean the operating room. An OR nurse often performs the very same functions, similar to a scrub nurse or a circulating nurse, fulfilling the role of an operating room assistant.

While a nurse’s primary emphasis is on patient care and a technician’s primary emphasis is on maintaining a sterile surgical environment, many of their responsibilities coincide and overlap, making it worthwhile to reconsider your staffing model.

An OR Assistant Can Ease Staffing Challenges

Surgical nurses are the most difficult to recruit and train because recent graduates do not feel prepared to care for patients requiring surgical intervention. Many nursing schools have eliminated specialty training from their curricula.

According to OR Today, two-thirds of OR nurse leaders are over the age of 50 and plan to retire by 2022. The loss of these OR nurses will be devastating, as they take years of nursing knowledge and experience with them.

Because nursing students today do not get the clinical experience and training needed to work in specialty areas such as the operating room, hospitals find themselves implementing on-the-job training and facing the need for comprehensive training programs.

This is where an OR assistant comes in.

Most States Allow Substituting an OR Assistant for an OR Nurse

With the looming shortage of OR nurses, substituting an OR assistant for an OR nurse may be a viable option. As OR nurses retire, hospitals may choose to absorb their duties with surgical staff already in place, including OR assistants, particularly because their job responsibilities overlap a great deal in the OR.

Replacing an OR nurse with an OR assistant can result in a savings of $30,000 in salary and benefits. The average salary of an OR assistant is $47,300 while an experienced OR nurse can command just under $80,000.

Considering the similarities in job responsibilities and the cost savings, an OR assistant may prove to be an invaluable surgical team member.

M. Grano Jan 20, 2020