What is Perioperative Nurse Salary in South Africa

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If you are wondering about the salary of perioperative nurse in South Africa, well, in this article, you will find out perioperative nurse salary in South Africa is, the functions of perioperative nurse and how to become a perioperative nurse in South Africa.

Perioperative Nursing is a post basic Programme designed to equip registered nurses the complexity of knowledge and skills required to effectively care for patients that are in need of perioperative nursing services. Nursing in the operating or surgical theatre involves the nursing care of patients having known or predicated anatomic or physiologic alterations. It is practiced in an environment in which basic life supporting needs are of the highest priority.

It is a comprehensive practice encompassing the patient’s surgical experience through the pre-operative, intra-operative and into the immediate post-operative phases. It occurs within a serial milieu characterized by rapidly changing technological, economic and cultural forces which require continuous adaption by professional practitioners in collaboration with other members of the health team, assisting in ensuring continuity of care by providing assistance in planning regime of care in the pre-operative, intra operative and immediate post-operative phases of the patient’s surgical experience.

Who is a Perioperative Nurse?

A perioperative nurse is a certified nurse that works in an operating room, providing preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative nursing care to patients.

Perioperative nurses also work alongside with surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurse anaesthetists, surgical technologists, and nurse practitioners.

Note: PON is the accronym for PeriOperative Nurse, if it is PeriOperative Nurses then it will be called PONs, so don’t be confuse when you hear of PON as a specialty in Nursing.

Before looking at perioperative nurse salary in South Africa, let us look at the functions of Perioperative nurses.

Also Read: What is the Salary of a Pediatric Nurse in South Africa

What are the functions of perioperative nurses?

Now let’s take a look at the functions and roles of perioperative nurses in the surgical unit. Firstly, I will talk about the roles of;

Pre-Op or preoperative nurse
Intra-Op or intraoperative nurse
Post-Op or PACU or postoperative nurse

Pre-Op Nursing Role

The Pre-Op nurse prepares the patient for surgery, pre-op nurses perform necessary duties to ensure that the patient is ready and this duties may include; ensuring that consent form has been signed by the patient and relatives, collecting vital signs and a health history of the patient, starting intravenous catheters (IVs), performing a detailed head-to-toe assessment to ensure the patient’s condition is stable for surgery, verifying that the appropriate paperwork is complete, and providing emotional support and teaching to the patient and family.

Intra-Op Nursing Role

The Intra-Op nurse works inside the operating room and different roles are in place for this role, as well. The nurse may be assisting the surgeon working as a Circulator to ensure a sterile and controlled environment. This nurse also ensures all necessary personnel, equipment, and supplies are readily available, as well as completing necessary paperwork and being sure anyone who enters the OR is a necessary and documented addition to the environment.

Post-Op Nursing Role

The Post-Op, or PACU (Post-Anesthesia Care Unit) nurse works in the recovery room and receives the patient from the operating room immediately after the surgical procedure. The patient will be either just waking up from anesthesia or is now awake but very sleepy still. The Post-Op nurse monitors for complications during this process. Usually, a patient remains in the recovery room for 1-3 hours depending on the patient’s condition and the standards of the hospital. The PACU nurse then either discharges the patient home or transfers them back to the floor of the hospital or ICU where safe care will be continued.

Perioperative nurses assist with surgery preparation and administration and patient recovery.

The functions of Perioperative nurses also inside the following:

Patient assessment
Patient education
Instrument and room sterilization
Patient monitoring after surgery, and recovery coordination with doctors, rehabilitative nurses, and other medical professionals.

Other functions of perioperative nurses are:

Coordinates use of supplies, instrumentation and equipment for operative care
Ensures equipment is functioning correctly
Maintains patient safety standards
Monitors, records and communicates patient’s condition and needs with the interdisciplinary team
Manages overall care of the patient before, during and after the surgical procedure
Advocates on behalf of the patient
Documents preoperative and intraoperative care to be delivered in accordance with the surgeon, hospital, and regulatory agencies
Evaluates, remediates and documents the surgical environment for aseptic merit
Provides patient care with an understanding of age, culture-specific needs
Addresses the biological, emotional, developmental, psychosocial and educational status of the patient and his or her family and seeks to address concerns
Coordinates professional development within their practice
Performs core job functions with minimal supervision
Verification of surgical consent

Perioperative nurses can also be assigned these roles:

Scrub nurse – help surgeons by preparing and sterilizing tools, providing surgeons with surgical tools they need, and other simple tasks during surgery
Circulating nurse – supervise nursing care and make sure surgical rooms are safe and sterile
RN First Assistant – suture cuts, control and monitor bleeding, and perform other complex duties. RN first assistants are required to complete extra training

Perioperative nurses sometimes get promoted to operating room directors. These specialists are responsible for managing employees, overseeing budgets, and performing various business functions. Perioperative nurses often land jobs as medical equipment salespeople, researchers, consultants, and teachers after obtaining a certain amount of work experience.

Before going into perioperative nurse salary in South Africa, let us delve into how to become a perioperative nurse in South Africa.

Also check out: The different career opportunities in Nursing profession

How to become a perioperative nurse in South Africa?

To become a registered nurse in South Africa, you must have attained a RN certificate or license to practise as a nurse. Afterwards, you will have to attend one year program to attain a license to practise as a perioperative nurse in South Africa.

Perioperative Nurse Salary in South Africa

The average salary of perioperative nurse in South Africa is R200,390 per year, which amount to R16,699.2 per month. This salary is dependent on the hospital you are working for. Some hospital will tend to pay higher while some will tend to pay lower. Perioperative nurse salary in South Africa also increases with your years of experience.