Perioperative Nursing

The Operating Room

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has operating rooms in hospitals across the province.

We are actively recruiting Registered Nurses with the Perioperative Nursing Advanced Certificate or those willing to obtain the required certificate. If you are a Registered Nurse who is looking to continue to develop your skills, perioperative nursing may be for you!

Perioperative nurses are exceptionally skilled in maintaining sterile technique and have highly developed technical skills suited to the surgical environment. They have the ability to remain calm and focused in high-pressure environments. Perioperative nurses demonstrate advanced communication and critical thinking skills. If you love life-long learning, are results oriented and set high standards for your learning and practice, this may be a great opportunity for you!

Want to join our team?

Join our Talent Community and view our operating room nursing employment opportunities!

What does a perioperative nurse do in the operating room?

Perioperative Registered Nurses care for patients before, during and after surgery and other invasive procedures. These procedures may range from routine to complex surgeries. The nursing team is made up of three nurses, each with specific assigned roles.

Scrub Nurse - assists the surgeon, maintains a sterile field
Circulating Nurses (2) - support anesthesia, ensure patient safety, equipment handling, complete documentation and support for the surgical team

What is it like to work in the operating room?

The operating room is a specialized environment that is highly collaborative. Care teams include:

Surgeons
Anesthetists
Licensed Practical Nurses
Medical Device Reprocessing Technicians
Operating Room Attendants
Perfusionists
Registered Nurses

The operating room is a dynamic environment that fluctuates between predictable and routine surgeries, to unanticipated, high acuity, complex and multidisciplinary cases.

Working in the operating room relies on strong teamwork, clear communication, and strict adherence to safety and sterile protocols making a safe space to work. Every team member has a clearly defined role and there is a culture of mutual respect and accountability, all of which help create a focused and supportive environment.

What does a typical day look like?

A typical day varies greatly depending on which facility you are in. Most surgical shifts are 8 hours in length and there are some on call shifts which may fit well with your work-life balance. There is an opportunity to suit a variety of personalities and work preferences. Unlike other nursing departments, the staff in the operating room mostly have direct communication with the patient when beginning their care. During the procedure, staff will communicate primarily with each other as they provide patient care. This environment creates a very tight-knit team supporting the best patient outcomes.

Who are your patients?

Some hospitals see mostly planned procedures and may be very specialized, such as facilities which host the majority of joint replacements and eye surgeries in the province. Other operating rooms may have an even mix of predicted cases and unpredicted.

Northern and rural facilities see pediatric patients, dental surgeries, Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) procedures and elderly patients who may have had a fall and need a broken bone among others. There is a wide variety of services offered in many of our smaller communities in Saskatchewan, allowing perioperative nurses to work at their full scope of practice.

What do Registered Nurses love most about working in the operating room?

Perioperative Registered Nurses find it very rewarding to see how their daily work improves the quality of life of their patients along with their family members. The operating room allows you to directly watch the benefits of surgery; a bone being fixed, an inflamed appendix removed and a baby being born to name a few examples. The operating room is very patient centered where the nurse-to-patient ratio is often three nurses to one patient.

Perioperative nurses frequently speak about how they appreciate the support of co-workers and peers. If a nurse leaves the unit to work in another department, they will often return because they missed the work, the team, the fun moments and the opportunity to be surrounded and supported so closely by other healthcare professionals and physicians.

How do I become a perioperative nurse?

Enroll in the Perioperative Nursing Course

Saskatchewan Polytechnic offers the Perioperative Nursing/RN Advanced Certificate Course.

In addition, the Saskatchewan Health Authority provides sponsorship to current employees who are Registered Nurses and want to take the required Perioperative Nursing course at Saskatchewan Polytechnic. Check out the Perioperative Nursing Course Sponsorship poster below for more details.