Related Nursing Roles
Scrub nurses are often joined in the operating room by other perioperative assistants known as “circulating nurses.” These professionals typically monitor the periphery of the operating room, ensuring that it remains sterile and secure during the procedure. Circulating nurses are also usually responsible for prepping patients for surgery, and are often nearby when the patients eventually wake up in recovery.
Circulators may also be in charge of communicating with the patient’s family members during the surgery and recovery periods. A scrub nurse is usually too preoccupied with the logistics of the procedure to handle these sorts of details.