Operating Room Practices Course

Lesson 1 • Surgical Team Roles and Responsibilities

Defines each team member's scope: surgeon, scrub tech, circulator, anesthesia provider, and support staff. Establishes accountability structures used throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Regulatory and Accreditation Standards

Introduces governing bodies, accreditation requirements, and safety mandates applicable to surgical environments. Provides the compliance framework referenced in later chapters.

Lesson 3 • OR Suite Layout and Zones

Covers physical design of surgical suites, including restricted, semi-restricted, and unrestricted zones. Connects spatial awareness to infection control and traffic flow.

Lesson 1 • Personal Protective Equipment in the OR

Specifies PPE selection, donning order, and disposal for surgical environments. Reinforces both staff safety and sterile field protection.

Lesson 2 • Establishing and Maintaining the Sterile Field

Covers draping, sterile table setup, and ongoing field surveillance. Builds the practical skills needed to sustain sterility from prep to closure.

Lesson 3 • Gowning and Gloving Procedures

Teaches closed and open gloving, self-gowning, and assisted gowning techniques. Ensures students can don sterile attire without compromising the sterile field.

Lesson 4 • Principles of Asepsis

Explains the microbial basis of surgical infection and the logic behind aseptic barriers. Provides the scientific rationale for all sterile technique practices.

Lesson 1 • Sterilization Quality Assurance

Introduces biological, chemical, and mechanical indicators and load release criteria. Connects monitoring practices to patient safety outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Spaulding Classification Framework

Applies the critical, semi-critical, and non-critical classification system to guide processing decisions. Establishes the decision logic used throughout this chapter.

Lesson 3 • Sterilization Methods and Parameters

Compares steam, hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide, and dry heat sterilization. Students match method to instrument material and lumen complexity.

Lesson 4 • Packaging and Sterile Storage

Addresses wrapping materials, pouches, container systems, and event-related sterility. Ensures instruments remain sterile from processing to point of use.

Lesson 1 • Instrument Handling and Passing Techniques

Teaches safe, efficient instrument passing, loading, and anticipation of surgeon needs. Reduces operative time and minimizes sharps injuries.

Lesson 2 • Energy-Based Devices

Explains electrosurgical units, ultrasonic devices, and laser systems used for cutting and hemostasis. Addresses safety precautions specific to each energy modality.

Lesson 3 • Classification of Surgical Instruments

Categorizes instruments by function: cutting, clamping, retracting, suturing, and viewing. Provides the naming and identification foundation for all subsequent instrument work.

Lesson 4 • Instrument Set Assembly and Case Carts

Guides students through building procedure-specific instrument sets and loading case carts. Directly prepares them for scrub role responsibilities in the OR.

Lesson 1 • Surgical Site Skin Preparation

Details antiseptic agent selection, prep sequence, and boundaries for common surgical sites. Reduces microbial load at the incision site before draping.

Lesson 2 • Principles of Safe Patient Positioning

Covers physiological effects of positioning on circulation, respiration, and nerve integrity. Establishes the safety rationale applied in all positioning techniques.

Lesson 3 • Positioning Devices and Accessories

Identifies bean bags, vacuum mattresses, arm boards, and specialty frames. Correct device selection prevents injury and supports surgical access.

Lesson 4 • Draping for Surgical Exposure

Covers sterile draping sequences for abdominal, orthopedic, and laparoscopic procedures. Integrates with sterile field management skills from Chapter 2.

Lesson 1 • Airway Management Assistance

Covers equipment preparation, positioning for intubation, and cricoid pressure technique. Students support safe airway establishment without performing independent clinical judgment.

Lesson 2 • Anesthesia Emergencies and Response

Prepares students to recognize and support management of malignant hyperthermia, anaphylaxis, and cardiac arrest. Reinforces team roles under crisis conditions.

Lesson 3 • Overview of Anesthesia Types

Distinguishes general, regional, neuraxial, and monitored anesthesia care. Provides context for the support tasks and monitoring responsibilities that follow.

Lesson 4 • Fluid and Blood Management

Addresses IV access, fluid types, blood product administration, and cell salvage. Connects fluid management to hemodynamic stability during surgery.

Lesson 1 • Universal Protocol and Surgical Time-Out

Implements the pre-procedure verification, site marking, and time-out components of the Universal Protocol. Prevents wrong-site, wrong-patient, and wrong-procedure errors.

Lesson 2 • Specimen Handling and Pathology Submission

Covers specimen identification, preservation, and transport to pathology. Errors in specimen handling can alter diagnosis and patient outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Intraoperative Documentation

Addresses circulator charting, implant records, specimen labeling, and electronic health record entry. Accurate records protect patients and fulfill legal obligations.

Lesson 4 • Surgical Count Procedures

Details counting methodology for sponges, sharps, and instruments at each count interval. Establishes the procedural discipline that prevents retained surgical items.

Lesson 1 • Wound Closure Techniques

Demonstrates layered closure, interrupted and continuous suture patterns, stapling, and tissue adhesives. Prepares students to anticipate and support each closure method.

Lesson 2 • Surgical Dressings and Wound Care

Addresses dressing selection, application technique, and negative-pressure wound therapy. Connects intraoperative closure to postoperative wound protection.

Lesson 3 • Suture Materials and Selection

Compares absorbable and non-absorbable sutures, natural and synthetic materials, and monofilament versus braided configurations. Students select suture based on tissue type and tension.

Lesson 4 • Drain Placement and Management

Covers passive and active drain types, placement rationale, and output monitoring. Drain management is a key postoperative handoff responsibility.