Healthcare support workers and the scrubbed role

Healthcare assistants. To scrub or not to scrub?

The appropriateness of healthcare assistants expanding their role into the domain of scrubbing has been a contentious issue for a long time. Whenever the shortage of theatre staff becomes a major concern, expanding the role of the healthcare assistant into scrubbing is discussed and decided against. Although allowing healthcare assistants to scrub is not the sole answer for all theatre's problems, Hazel Smith argues that it would ease a difficult situation.

The ethics of theatre nurse practice under the microscope

Perioperative practice is a multidisciplinary environment. In some theatres, student nurse allocations are at last becoming longer, although some theatres still only get a brief visit from student nurses who wish to watch an operation all the way through. Furthermore, practically all operating departments have trainee operating department practitioners (tODPs). Diploma and degree level tODPs are now beginning to produce higher academic levels of coursework and many warrant recognition. We should remember that these 'learners' are potentially the theatre practitioners of the future and we should encourage them, not only within the perioperative environment but also towards their academic achievements. Qualified nurses and operating department practitioners (ODPs) now have access to various multi-disciplinary post-registration/gradate courses, which not only build upon theoretical knowledge, but also enhance practical skills. Individuals work long and hard to achieve high level academic pieces of coursework. Unfortunately after courses finish many assignments are packed away, collect dust and get forgotten, instead of the authors being brave enough to submit them for consideration for publication. This new series offers all practitioners the chance to share with others their work within this speciality. Whether you are a nurse or an ODP undertaking, or having recently completed a course, tODP or student nurse (but preferably a member of NATN) the possibility to share your experiences or coursework with other perioperative practitioners is available to you in these articles. It has always been so, but this new series is dedicated to you all and to the hard work you put into your coursework.