AHL 854 - Introduction to the Hospital Setting

6.3 Continuing Education Units (CEU). This course is not for Credit(s).

This course is designed to enable the student to learn about the interrelations of various departments in the hospital setting. The course will familiarize the student with the operating room and departments that are related to providing direct or indirect care to the surgical patient. The course involves a six week online component and a six week rotation at a local clinical affiliate site. Topics to be covered include pathology, radiology, operating room observations, central service, and post-operative units.

Course Objectives:

1. explain the patient identification process;
2. describe the proper method of transferring and transporting the surgical patient;
3. observe and describe the charting process and consent of the surgical patient;
4. observe and describe the post-operative care of the surgical patient;
5. observe the disinfection and sterilization process and describe how it relates to patient care in the operating room;
6. demonstrate knowledge of the basic steps used in the disinfection and sterilization process of instruments and supplies;
7. describe the proper handling, storage, and distribution of surgical instrumentation and supplies;

8. observe and describe the proper process of disinfecting the operating room and list how this is related to the care of the surgical patient;
9. observe the processes involved with perioperative case management, the roles of surgical team members, and care of the surgical patient;
10. demonstrate knowledge of the physical environment of the operating room and the appropriate attire required in the various areas;
11. observe and describe the pre-operative care of the surgical patient as related to positioning, urinary catheterization, skin preparation, and draping;
12. observe and describe the intraoperative process as it relates to specimen care, hemostasis, surgical counts, wound dressing, and general duties of the surgical technologist;
13. identify diagnostic and interventional procedures that can be used as sources of data for patient care;
14. list types of endoscopes and describe their use in the care of the surgical patient;
15. describe various imaging techniques and how the information gained relates to care of the surgical patient;
16. identify interdepartmental communication processes;
17. identify instances of respect for the rights of the surgical patient;
18. demonstrate appropriate professional conduct in the clinical setting;
19. describe the proper care and handling of surgical specimens in the operating room and in the
lab/pathology department and how it is related to proper care of the surgical patient;
20. describe the relationship between the lab/pathology department and the operating room and how this relationship is crucial to proper care of the surgical patient; and
21. explain the purpose of the initial hospital rotation.

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