Tanner Celebrates Perioperative Nurse Week Nov. 7-13

Posted Date: 11/7/2011

In health care, it’s important that things be done properly – especially during surgery.

Perioperative nurses are registered nurses who specialize in collaborating with surgeons, anesthesia providers, surgical assistants and others before, during and after a surgical procedure.

“If you or someone you love has had a surgical procedure at Tanner, then there was a perioperative nurse who was in part responsible for you or your loved one’s well-being throughout the operation,” said DeNene Cofield, CNOR, a certified operating room nurse and director of surgical services for Tanner Health System. “While all the other well-qualified medical professionals in the room were focused on their specific duty, the perioperative nurse was focused on the patient, employing their critical thinking to help assess, diagnose, plan and evaluate, coordinating the activities in the surgical suite for the benefit of the patient.”

To acknowledge the important role that perioperative nurses serve in ensuring excellent patient outcomes, Tanner is joining other hospitals and health systems throughout the nation to celebrate Perioperative Nurse Week, Nov. 7 to Nov. 13.

The event is sponsored by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), which designated Nov. 14 as OR Nurse Day in 1979 and later expanded it to a week-long celebration in 1990 to lead up to OR Nurse Day, which is still celebrated on Nov. 14.

“A person is seldom so vulnerable as they are during surgery,” said Cofield. “This is an opportunity to let our nurses come out from behind the surgical masks and closed doors to acknowledge their role in protecting you. When you’re undergoing a procedure, you can rest assured that you have a professional and highly-skilled advocate in the surgical suite with you to make sure you’re getting the best outcome possible. I hope people will take time this week to acknowledge our perioperative nurses and the important role they play in advancing patient care.”

Perioperative nurses serve in the surgical services units of Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton, Tanner Medical Center/Villa Rica and Higgins General Hospital in Bremen. To learn more about surgical services at Tanner, click here. To find career opportunities available through Tanner Health System, visit www.tannerjobs.org.

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