AHL 221 - Perioperative Nursing I

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the students should be able to:
1. describe the areas where perioperative nursing is practiced and list the key skills the perioperative nurse must possess;
2. identify key components of the Perioperative Patient-Focused Model and describe the perioperative nursing standards;
3. describe the process used to implement evidence-based professional nursing;
4. describe the proper procedure for counting sponges, sharps, and instruments, and place the procedural steps in the correct order;
5. identify key elements of safe specimen handling;
6. identify the specific hazards of the perioperative environment and classify strategies to prevent injury;
7. identify the correct method for administration of blood and blood products;
8. describe the components of informed consent as they apply to the operative permit and define responsibilities related to informed consent;
9. categorize the risks for slips, trips, and falls in the perioperative setting and describe the strategies to mitigate them;
10. differentiate among Universal, Standard, and Transmission-Based Precautions and identify the indications for each;
11. describe environmental controls and practices that contribute to the prevention of infection in the operating room (OR);
12. recall the steps to decontaminate items used in the OR and differentiate between decontamination and sterilization; and
13. list key points in providing safety for an anesthetized patient; and escribe and differentiate among local, regional, general, and monitored anesthesia care (MAC) and identify indications for each.