Identify and minimize the potential environmental hazards to patients and healthcare workers.

The learner will have the knowledge to confidently implement the evidence-based practices and recommendation from the AORN Guideline for Sterilization on types of sterilization modalities used today; loading the sterilizer; load configuration; transport of sterile items; quality control measures; and installation, care, and maintenance of sterilization equipment.

Learn specific behaviors to participate in patient and family educational activities.

Identify the concepts of sterile technique and their application to clinical perioperative practice.

Acquire basic nursing care considerations for a patient undergoing minimally invasive or endoscopic surgery.

Learn various surgical instruments to help anticipate the needs of the surgical team during surgical procedures.

Understand the care and handling of specimens.

Learn to use the nursing process in documenting safe and effective patient care in the perioperative setting.

Learn how to protect both health care workers and patients from transmission of potentially infectious agents.

Understand testing, application, use, and cleaning of pneumatic tourniquets.

The goal of this course is to familiarize nurses and other health care personnel with the Perioperative Nursing Data Set (PNDS), a standardized nursing language that will support evidence-based perioperative nursing practice.

Understand wound closure principles and how their application in the surgical setting can contribute to optimal outcomes.

Prepare preceptors for their critical role in orienting new registered nurses to the perioperative environment.

Understand safe and accurate administration and documentation of intraoperative medications and solutions.

Increase your knowledge of anesthesia methods to assist the anesthesia professional in delivering safe patient care.

Learn how to apply principles of safety when using a variety of equipment in the surgical suite.

Identify how to develop and implement a protocol for prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Identify specific actions to take in order to reduce the risk of a patient developing unplanned perioperative hypothermia.

Learn how to prepare for, recognize, and treat various obstetric emergencies that may arise during pregnancy.

Introduces the perioperative registered nurse (RN) to the elements of a culture of safety and the effect of human factors on delivery of care.