Travel OR Scrub Nurse Jobs

For jobs available on Vivian as of Wednesday, February 1st 2023, the average weekly salary for a Travel Operating Room Scrub Nurse is $3,327, but can pay up to $4,519 per week.

An OR scrub nurse is a registered nurse who specializes in assisting in the operating room, working alongside surgeons and other surgical staff. Scrub nurses help ensure surgeries run smoothly by minimizing complications and continually maintaining a sterile operating environment. Working in the OR can be hectic and stressful, but OR scrubs nurses play a vital role in a surgery’s success and enjoy tremendous satisfaction in supporting patients and the surgical staff during complex surgical procedures, including lifesaving operations.

The most crucial thing an OR scrub nurse does is maintain the sterile field to minimize patients’ exposure to microorganisms and prevent infections during operations. Besides maintaining sterility, the primary tasks of a scrub nurse during operations are selecting necessary instruments and supplies and passing them to the surgeon. Another extremely important task is the counts of instruments, sponges, and other surgical supplies. This task requires an OR scrub RN to perform an initial count before each surgery to establish a baseline and perform counts when closing the peritoneum (or other compartments in the body), the fascia, and skin. They perform a final count when the surgery ends and initiate a coordinated search to locate missing items until everything has been appropriately accounted for.

An OR scrub nurse generally works in a hospital in the surgical department, but they may work in a variety of operating rooms. Operations they may participate in include general, vascular, cardiothoracic, oncology, neurology, orthopedic, pediatric, or plastic surgeries, among others. A growing number of scrub nurses work in labor and delivery where they assist with cesarean sections and other procedures required to deliver newborns safely. Scrub nurses may also work in outpatient surgery centers, private surgical practices, or other types of medical facilities that provide surgical services.

Good OR scrub nurses have in-depth knowledge of a wide array of surgical procedures and all the surgical instruments, equipment, and supplies required to complete each procedure. They possess strong organizational skills to effectively set up before surgeries and know exactly where everything is to prevent delays during critical moments. Another top skill is critical thinking, which helps expert scrub RNs predict and identify any potential surgical complications and quickly take appropriate action. Verbal and non-verbal communication skills and team-orientation are also crucial skills, ensuring scrub nurses work well as part of a team and can effectively communicate with other members of the surgical staff. The ability to work well under pressure is another vital skill of successful OR scrub nurses.

The first step towards a career as a travel OR scrub nurse is education. While it’s possible to become a scrub nurse with an associate degree in nursing, many healthcare facilities prefer applicants with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Graduates must pass the NCLEX-RN licensing exam and earn Basic Life Support and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support certifications.

OR Scrub RN's may hold BLS - Basic Life Support, ACLS - Advanced Cardiac Life Support, PALS - Pediatric Advanced Life Support o CNOR - Certified Perioperative Nurse among others.