Nursing, Midwifery and
Womens Health

Surgical Nursing

A surgical nurse, also referred to as a theater nurse or scrub nurse, specializes in preoperative care, providing care to patients before, during and after surgery. To become a theater nurse, Registered Nurses or Enrolled Nurses must complete extra training. There are different speciality areas that theatre nurses can focus in depending on which areas they are interested in.

There are many different phases during surgery where the theater nurse is needed to support and assist the patient, surgeons, surgical technicians, nurse anaesthetist and nurse practitioners. Pre-operative, the nurse must help to prepare the patient and operating room for the surgery. During the surgery, they assist the anaesthetist and surgeons when they are needed. The last phase is post-operative, enduring that the patients are provided with suitable care and treatments.