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Surgical technician Dwayne Adolphine gives students from the Secondary School for Research an inside look at New York Methodist Hospital's operating rooms as a part of NYM's celebration of Perioperative Nurses Week.

In celebration of Perioperative Nurses Week, New York Methodist Hospital recently invited students from the Secondary School for Research's class of 2010 to the Hospital for a special presentation and tour of the operating rooms. The theme of this year's event, which was coordinated by NYM's clinical directors for surgical services, Michelle Chester, R.N., and Jennifer Williams, R.N., was "The Patient's Perioperative Journey."

Over fifteen staff members from the Operating Room (OR) and Nursing Administration were on-hand to speak with the students about the pivotal roles they play in administering perioperative care. "Being an operating room nurse is complicated and stressful,"  said Haydeeflora Romero, R.N. "You have to have a passion for it."

Surgical technicians Dwayne Adolphine, Lisa Savory and Raynette Baptiste entertained the students with a precise and dramatic demonstration of how they are required to dress, and to handle and count surgical equipment before a procedure. After the presentation, the high school juniors were taken on tours of the OR; where they were able to witness live surgical procedures.

"This visit surpassed our expectations," said Joan Vendryes, community liaison at the School.

Operating room nurses, also known as perioperative nurses play a crucial role in the welfare of a patient before, during and after surgery. These registered nurses are an integral part of any surgical team. Perioperative nurses are responsible for an array of tasks that range from managing the operating room to making certain that all surgical instruments, sponges, and needles are accounted for during and after the procedure.

In 1979, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) designated a day each year to "promote consumer education and enhance public knowledge regarding the role of the perioperative nurse." A few years later, the event expanded to a full week.