Saturday, May 19, 2012

Picture Of The Day - 19 MAY 2012 "Echo"

FaST Surgeon with CPT "T" in FOB Salerno Operating Room, Khost Afghanistan

I'll stick with the Operating Room theme today. Yesterday we learned a little bit about the Army scrub tech / operating room specialist. Today I present to you the person who really is in charge of the operating room...... and believe it or not... it ain't me (although I often fantasize that I am).



I present to you the Army's 66 Echo - Operating Room Nurse. This Registered Nurse is responsible for everything that happens in the OR. Period. Or, said another way... responsible for keeping FaST Surgeon under control. It's a tough job. But CPT "T" really loves it.

These folks are advanced trained professionals. They have at least their RN degree along with 3 years of OR experience. Additionally, they are accredited by the CNOR program. CNOR is a definition not an acronym.  CNOR certification is defined as:  "the documented validation of the professional achievement of identified standards of practice by an individual registered nurse providing care for patients before, during and after surgery."  To get this certification, they can go to school for one year (in addition to nursing school), followed by another year of mentorship and then sit for the examination. In other words, they have a heck of a strong knowledge base combined with strong experience.

So today, we throw another respectful salute to all the 66 Echos out there.