OR Nurse (Scrub)

Short Description

The OR (scrub) nurse keeps the sterile field safe and the operation moving. They prepare instruments, anticipate the surgeon’s needs, and help prevent errors.

Main Priorities

• Set up and maintain the sterile field; ensure correct instruments and supplies are ready.
• Participate in safety checks (“time-out”) for identity, procedure, and site.
• Pass instruments and sutures, handle tissue and specimens correctly, and track implants/stents.
• Count sponges/needles/instruments with the circulating nurse—before, during, and after the case.
• Help with patient positioning and skin prep/draping to protect nerves and skin.
• Watch for breaks in sterility and equipment issues; speak up immediately to keep you safe.

Issues They Work With

• Breaks in sterility: detect and correct quickly to avoid infection risk.
• Count mismatches: resolve with the team before closing.
• Equipment problems: instrument failure, battery/cord issues, backup set requests.
• Specimen handling: correct labeling and handoff for pathology/microbiology.
• Positioning/pressure: padding and re-checks to prevent pressure injuries.

When to Go to Them

• You’ll meet the scrub and circulating nurses in the OR before anesthesia. They confirm your identity, allergies, and procedure.
• During surgery you’re asleep—the scrub nurse works at the sterile field with the surgeon.
• After surgery, your point of contact is the PACU nurse and then the inpatient/transplant unit nurse.

What They Don’t Handle (Boundaries)

• They don’t manage long-term medicines or clinic follow-up—your transplant providers do.
• They don’t handle scheduling, refills, or insurance forms—coordinators and the floor team handle those.
• They don’t provide post-op phone triage—use your clinic’s on-call process.

Informational only; titles vary by hospital. In some centers, a scrub technologist shares these tasks with or instead of a scrub nurse.